vow

[ vou ]

/ vaʊ /

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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.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Idioms about 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use vow in a sentence

On one of his visits to Moscow he thinks was in 1995 prior to moving there he and Yaroslav exchanged vows that the two considered to be equivalent to a marriage in Pushkinskaya Square, a park-like plaza in downtown Moscow, John told the Blade.
Husband’s tragic death leaves D.C. man to raise 4 young children alone|Lou Chibbaro Jr.|November 11, 2020|Washington Blade
Three years into that vow, with losses still running about $1 million a month, Prospect’s warnings that it wanted to sell or close the hospital spurred state lawmakers to hand the company an “emergency” $15 million grant.
Investors Extracted $400 Million From a Hospital Chain That Sometimes Couldn’t Pay for Medical Supplies or Gas for Ambulances|by Peter Elkind with Doris Burke|September 30, 2020|ProPublica
This time, those vows mattered also for two small people who are like our hearts outside our bodies.
The Notorious RBG|Ted Osius|September 19, 2020|Washington Blade
Ten years before, when we took our vows the first time, they mattered mostly just to the two of us.
The Notorious RBG|Ted Osius|September 19, 2020|Washington Blade

Perhaps because we love our children so fiercely, and because we know better now what marriage means, those vows have only grown in significance.
The Notorious RBG|Ted Osius|September 19, 2020|Washington Blade
Although the blood-spattered offices will be off-limits, staff have vowed to continue producing the magazine.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She vowed to repay the money—no official word, however, on whether she ever did that.
Fergie Dives Into Prince Andrew’s Sex Scandal|Tom Sykes|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In fact, I publicly vowed to abstain from The Ball in 2012, but professional responsibilities and curiosity got the better of me.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots|Emily Shire|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bohac vowed to that when he came back next year there would be no confusion about any Christmas tree or Santa aprons.
A Field General in the War on Christmas|David Freedlander|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So was the importance of protest itself, which he vowed to protect from the heavy-handed policies employed by his predecessors.
Eric Garner Protesters Have a Direct Line to City Hall|Jacob Siegel|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The exile and the maiden, in short, fell in love with each other, and they mutually vowed never to be parted but by force.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
He vowed he was taking even better care of himself than usual, but his chest is bad again.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
How have the contributions of the faithful, for this end, been merely offered to men, but not vowed openly to God?
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
All that God requires of man, and consequently the use of all means appointed for glorifying his name, ought to be vowed.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
We are warranted to maintain that what was Covenanted before, no less than it should be performed, should be vowed again.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John 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