swear

CEFRB1

/ˈswɛə(ɹ)/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To make a serious promise or use rude language.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To promise intensely that something is true; to strongly assert.

Examples

  • They won't believe me even if I swear it is true.

  • You should swear on the Bible.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈsweː/
  • /ˈswiə/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To take an oath, to promise intensely, solemnly, and/or with legally binding effect.

  2. To take an oath that an assertion is true.

  3. To administer an oath to (a person).

More examples

In context

  • I swear I don't know what you're talking about.

  • The knight swore not to return to the palace until he had found the treasure.

  • The witness swore that the person she had seen running out of the bank was a foot shorter than the accused.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Before testifying in court, the witness must blank to tell the whole truth.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English sweren, swerien, from Old English swerian (“to swear, take an oath of office”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarjan, from Proto-Germanic *swarjaną (“to speak, swear”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to swear”). Cognate with West Frisian swarre (“to swear”), Saterland Frisian swera (“to swear”), Dutch zweren (“to swear, vow”), Low German swören (“to swear”), sweren, German schwören (“to swear”), Danish sværge, Swedish svära (“to swear”), Icelandic sverja (“to swear”), Russian свара (svara, “quarrel”). Also cognate to Albanian var (“to hang, consider, to depend from”) through Proto-Indo-European. The original sense in all Germanic languages is “to take an oath”. The sense...