vow

[vou]

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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.

Idioms

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

Related formsvow·er, nounvow·less, adjectiveun·vowed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vowed

assure, swear, promise, declare, affirm, covenant, pledge, devote, dedicate, testify, vouch, consecrate, plight, warrant

Examples from the Web for vowed

Contemporary Examples of vowed

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
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
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
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
The company lawyer promised to deliver the RFI to executives and vowed to help schedule a meeting.
Can God Beat the NRA?
Dean Obeidallah
November 13, 2014

Historical Examples of vowed

I kneel not, repenting of what I have vowed in such a case as that I have supposed.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
On the death of his countess, Foulques vowed to go on a crusade.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II
Charlotte Mary Yonge
He lifted a hand to Heaven and vowed solemnly: "Never again!"
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance
I have no thought, no ambition, no sentiment that is not vowed to her.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Besides, had he not vowed in all charity that he would not wound anyone with his doubts?
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for vowed

vow

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 Formsvower, 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

Word Origin and History for vowed

vow

c.1300, from Old French vouer, from vou (see vow (n.)). Related: Vowed; vowing.

vow

c.1300, from Anglo-French and Old French vou, from Latin votum "a vow, wish, promise, dedication," noun use of neuter of votus, past participle of vovere "to promise solemnly, pledge, dedicate, vow," from PIE root *ewegwh- "to speak solemnly, vow" (cf. Sanskrit vaghat- "one who offers a sacrifice;" Greek eukhe "vow, wish," eukhomai "I pray").