swear

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“
"Every one I will swear is American born But who are these young men Three passengers I am taking to Baltimore The three students began to entertain some grave apprehensions.

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Definitions (41)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (17)

  1. intransitive verb To make a solemn declaration, invoking a deity or a sacred person or thing, in confirmation of and witness to the honesty or truth of such a declaration.
  2. intransitive verb To make a solemn promise; vow.
  3. intransitive verb To use profane oaths; curse.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (17)

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Examples (50)

  • I swear, at the month's end, you shall hardly find a married man that will do a civil thing to his wife, or say a civil thing to anybody else. —  The Comedies of William Congreve Volume 1 [of 2]
  • Clever Sir Penthony I swear, my dear lady, I Ah, ha! —  Molly Bawn
  • Oh! sir--swear, swear by all that's holy, and by all that's pure, that--you do not deceive me I swear by thyself, maiden, than all to me more sacred The casement closed, and in a short time a light appeared above. —  The Phantom Ship
  • "Ye must swear, by all the holy saints, to do naught agin Denny Nolan when once ye git safe away--swear that neither Flora nor yerself puts the law on to Denny, nor on to any o' the folks o' this harbor, for whatever has been done I swear it, by all the saints," replied Darling. —  The Harbor Master
  • I swear--before God--I'll give you no cause She started a little at the sound of his voice, but she made no movement to go. —  The Tidal Wave and Other Stories
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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

profanity ·  drunkenness ·  blasphemy ·  imprecation ·  oath ·  licentiousness ·  curse ·  uproar ·  yell ·  lewdness ·  cruelty ·  atheism

Used in the same contextWord Family

swear:   swearing ·  swore ·  sworn ·  swears
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English sweren, from Old English swerian; see swer- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English sweren, swerien (preterit swor, sware, plural sweren), from Anglo-Saxon swerian (preterit swōr, past participle sworen) = Old Saxon swerian = OFries. swera = Middle Dutch sweren, Dutch zweren = Middle Low German sweren, Low German swören = Old High German sweren, swerien, Middle High German swern, sweren, German schwören = Icelandic sverja = Swedish svärja = Danish sværge = Gothic (Moesogothic) swaran (preterit swōr), swear; cf. Icelandic svar, plural svör, = Swedish Danish svar, answer, Icelandic Swedish svara = Danish svare, answer, Anglo-Saxon andswaru, answer, andswarian, andswerian, answer, etc. (see answer); prob. orig. declare, affirm, assert, hence answer; cf. Sanskrit svara, sound, voice, √ svar, sound. To the same root is referred swarm. Hence, in comp., forswear.
  2. from swear, v.
 

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/swɛr/
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