Definitions for swear
swɛərswear

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. curse, cuss, blaspheme, swear, imprecateverb

   utter obscenities or profanities

   "The drunken men were cursing loudly in the street"

2. affirm, verify, assert, avow, aver, swan, swearverb

   to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

   "Before God I swear I am innocent"

3. swearverb

   promise solemnly; take an oath

4. swear, depose, deponeverb

   make a deposition; declare under oath

5. trust, swear, rely, bankverb

   have confidence or faith in

   "We can trust in God"; "Rely on your friends"; "bank on your good education"; "I swear by my grandmother's recipes"

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Swearverb

   to affirm or utter a solemn declaration, with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed; to make a promise, threat, or resolve on oath; also, to affirm solemnly by some sacred object, or one regarded as sacred, as the Bible, the Koran, etc

   Etymology: [OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schwren, Icel. sverja, Sw. svrja, Dan. svaerge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. 177. Cf. Answer.]

2. Swearverb

   to give evidence on oath; as, to swear to the truth of a statement; he swore against the prisoner

   Etymology: [OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schwren, Icel. sverja, Sw. svrja, Dan. svaerge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. 177. Cf. Answer.]

3. Swearverb

   to make an appeal to God in an irreverant manner; to use the name of God or sacred things profanely; to call upon God in imprecation; to curse

   Etymology: [OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schwren, Icel. sverja, Sw. svrja, Dan. svaerge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. 177. Cf. Answer.]

4. Swearverb

   to utter or affirm with a solemn appeal to God for the truth of the declaration; to make (a promise, threat, or resolve) under oath

   Etymology: [OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schwren, Icel. sverja, Sw. svrja, Dan. svaerge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. 177. Cf. Answer.]

5. Swearverb

   to put to an oath; to cause to take an oath; to administer an oath to; -- ofetn followed by in or into; as, to swear witnesses; to swear a jury; to swear in an officer; he was sworn into office

   Etymology: [OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schwren, Icel. sverja, Sw. svrja, Dan. svaerge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. 177. Cf. Answer.]

6. Swearverb

   to declare or charge upon oath; as, he swore treason against his friend

   Etymology: [OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schwren, Icel. sverja, Sw. svrja, Dan. svaerge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. 177. Cf. Answer.]

7. Swearverb

   to appeal to by an oath

   Etymology: [OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schwren, Icel. sverja, Sw. svrja, Dan. svaerge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. 177. Cf. Answer.]

Freebase(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Swear

   "Swear" was a 1980s pop song by Tim Scott McConnell and released by Sire Records in 1983. The music video to promote the song was a campy/tongue-in-cheek music video of a hippy-based pagan/black mass set in a church. The stylized music video is seemingly a parody of late 1960s to early 1970s hippy horror movies. A bio [link below] from the Tim Scott website states with respect to the "Swear" song that: "This was my young and confused record...I wrote the songs over a couple of weeks on a little Casio keyboard...Sire heard it and offered me a deal...no use appologising for such a thing...my mistake... the good part of it was working with Richard Gottehrer ...really took me under his wing...shame we were working on the wrong kind of music.." "Swear" was covered by Sheena Easton for her 1984 album A Private Heaven. It reached #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the following year.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Swear

   swār, v.i. to affirm, calling God to witness: to give evidence on oath: to utter the name of God or of sacred things profanely.—v.t. to utter, calling God to witness: to administer an oath to: to declare on oath:—pa.t. swōre; pa.p. sworn.—n. Swear′er.—Swear at, to aim profanity at: to be very incongruous with, esp. in colour; Swear by, to put complete confidence in; Swear in, to inaugurate by oath; Swear off, to renounce, promise to give up. [A.S. swerian; Dut. zweren, Ger. schwören.]

Matched Categories

1. • Declare
   • Vow

British National Corpus

1. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'swear' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2970

2. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'swear' in Verbs Frequency: #661

Anagrams for swear »

1. Sawer

2. Sware

3. Wares

4. Wears

How to pronounce swear?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say swear in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of swear in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of swear in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of swear in a Sentence

1. Chrissy Teigen:

   I worry that people feel uncomfortable sharing their joy with me. Im currently surrounded by the pregnant bellies of many close friends, and I can swear to you, nothing makes me more happy. I know your joy and I love you, i wrote this because I knew for me I needed to say something before I could move on from this and return back to life, so I truly thank you for allowing me to do so. Jack will always be loved, explained to our kids as existing in the wind and trees and the butterflies they see. Thank you so much to every single person who has had us in their thoughts or gone as far as to send us your love and stories. We are so incredibly lucky.

2. Rudy Giuliani:

   I swear to God, it was a mistake.

3. Langston Hughes, uThe Black Man Speaksu:

   I swear to the LordI still can't seeWhy Democracy meansEverybody but me.

4. Mehmet Murat ildan:

   Don’t swear at your past; you couldn’t existed without it! It is the only path to reach today and tomorrow! Remember that past is a great teacher who thought us all we know now!

5. Nina Shea:

   Those camps are infiltrated by ISIS and jihadist groups, the women would be vulnerable to rape and sex trafficking and the men would have to swear allegiance to the caliphate, according to aid people who have been in the camps.

Images & Illustrations of swear

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