vow

[ vou ]

/ vaʊ /

See synonyms for: vow / vowed / vows on Thesaurus.com

noun

a solemn promise, pledge, or personal commitment: marriage vows; a vow of secrecy.

a solemn promise made to a deity or saint committing oneself to an act, service, or condition.

a solemn or earnest declaration.

verb (used with object)

to make a vow of; promise by a vow, as to God or a saint: to vow a crusade or a pilgrimage.

to pledge or resolve solemnly to do, make, give, observe, etc.: They vowed revenge.

to declare solemnly or earnestly; assert emphatically (often followed by a clause as object): She vowed that she would take the matter to court.

to dedicate or devote by a vow: to vow oneself to the service of God.

verb (used without object)

to make a vow.

to make a solemn or earnest declaration.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

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Idioms for vow

take vows, to enter a religious order or house.

Origin of vow

1250–1300; Middle English <Anglo-French, Old French vo(u) <Latin vōtum, neuter of vōtus, past participle of vovēre to vow

OTHER WORDS FROM vow

vower, nounvowless, adjectiveun·vowed, adjective

Words nearby vow

voucher system, vouchsafe, vouge, voussoir, Vouvray, vow, vowel, vowel gradation, vowel harmony, vowelize, vowel mutation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for vow

Encouraged by a friend, I wrote and asked if, while she stayed with us, the justice might consider officiating over a brief ceremony to renew our marriage vows.
The Notorious RBG|Ted Osius|September 19, 2020|Washington Blade
As major drug companies prepare a public vow to adhere to the most rigorous vaccine safety standards, watch for a fringe-driven conversation against vaccines to accelerate.
American Fringes: How the Media Makes it Worse|Nick Fouriezos|September 7, 2020|Ozy
Katelyn Stanis, owner of vow writing company Wedding Words, had to cut her own guest list down from 100 to 15.
How to update your guests about your pandemic wedding plans|Brooke Henderson|August 29, 2020|Fortune
In addition to being a part of the strange club of 2020 brides, Stanis knows what it’s like to be on both sides of the bridal party––after all, she’s a professional wedding vow and speechwriter.
How to turn down a wedding invitation during the coronavirus pandemic|Brooke Henderson|August 23, 2020|Fortune

Kenyatta made a Bush-like vow to continue the war on Al-Shabab, saying, “We will not flinch.”
Al-Shabab’s Anti-Christian Slaughter|Margot Kiser|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He made the vow on June 30, and I remember thinking at the time how strange it seemed.
Immigration Reform? Not Until Hillary|Michael Tomasky|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hamas spokesmen stand by the hospital gates and denounce the attack on Al Shejaiya as a massacre and vow to fight on.
Palestinians Fleeing Israeli Bombardment in Gaza Have ‘Nowhere Left to Run’|Jesse Rosenfeld|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Everything he stands for at the moment, and his soaring popularity in Russia, hinges on his vow to protect Russian speakers.
Is This the Day Odessa Explodes?|Will Cathcart|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They vow to meet after the war--home by Christmas--for a reunion at their Berlin bar.
‘Generation War’ Lets World War II Germans Off Too Easily|Jack Schwartz|January 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some time in the years to come a Man would claim her, and against that time he taught her the vow that Ruth made to Naomi.
Comrade Yetta|Albert Edwards
But we took the one the Imp had caught back to the pond, and, as we put it in, made a vow not to keep newts again.
Pond and Stream|Arthur Ransome
They will become tense as the father is telling her of his vow.
The Reconstructed School|Francis B. Pearson
He could think of nothing save the vow he had made to his wife before he left her.
Legends & Romances of Brittany|Lewis Spence
A vow is not a contract, it is a resolution which one takes and in which one persists.
The War Upon Religion|Rev. Francis A. Cunningham

British Dictionary definitions for vow

vow

/ (vaʊ) /

noun

a solemn or earnest pledge or promise binding the person making it to perform a specified act or behave in a certain way

a solemn promise made to a deity or saint, by which the promiser pledges himself to some future act, course of action, or way of life

take vows to enter a religious order and commit oneself to its rule of life by the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, which may be taken for a limited period as simple vows or as a perpetual and still more solemn commitment as solemn vows

verb

(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to pledge, promise, or undertake solemnlyhe vowed that he would continue; he vowed to return

(tr) to dedicate or consecrate to God, a deity, or a saint

(tr; usually takes a clause as object) to assert or swear emphatically

(intr) archaic to declare solemnly

Derived forms of vow

vower, nounvowless, adjective

Word Origin for vow

C13: from Old French vou, from Latin vōtum a solemn promise, from vovēre to vow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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