vow

noun \ ˈvau̇ \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of vow

: a solemn promise or assertion; specifically : one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition

See vow defined for English-language learners

See vow defined for kids

Examples of vow in a Sentence

The monks take a vow of silence.
The bride and groom exchanged vows.
The mayor made a vow to reduce crime.

Recent Examples of vow from the Web

For couples who dream of exchanging vows while surrounded by friends, family, and thousands of gallons of tasty craft beer, Brooklyn’s newest brewery opened last August in a converted early-20th-century steel-tie factory.

— david walters, The Cut, "15 New Outdoor Wedding Reception Venues in New York City," 13 Apr. 2018
The happy couple was just about to exchange vows when the barn owl — which had been commissioned specifically to fly down the aisle and deliver the rings to the best man — took off from its perch near the back of the room.

— michael bartiromo, Fox News, "Owl gets loose at wedding, leaves best man 'terrified'," 27 Mar. 2018
The two reportedly exchanged vows in front of other DWTS pros like Cheryl Burke, Julianne Hough and her husband Brooks Laich and former contestants Nick and Vanessa Lachey and Drew Scott.

— erin jensen, USA TODAY, "'Dancing With the Stars' pros Emma Slater, Sasha Farber have tied the knot, says report," 26 Mar. 2018
A few days later, Verlander and Kate Upton got married in Italy as the former AL MVP, Cy Young award winner and rookie of the year had to skip the Astros' parade in order to exchange vows as planned.

— kirkland crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Kate Upton green-lit Justin Verlander-Detroit Tigers trade: 'Hell yeah'," 26 Mar. 2018
The couple is expected to exchange vows at St. George's Chapel, on the grounds of Windsor Castle, on May 19.

— janice williams, Newsweek, "Meghan Markle Wax Figure to Join Royal Family Statues at Madame Tussauds," 21 Mar. 2018
Mechelle Moe will direct the drama, set during violent conflict in northern Uganda, about the daughter of American missionaries and a local teenage girl who plan to exchange secret vows.

— morgan greene, chicagotribune.com, "TimeLine announces 2018-19 season," 15 Mar. 2018
The couple exchanged vows during their royal-ish wedding on May 20 at St. Mark's Church, and made their first appearance as man and wife (more like woman and husband, but okay) looking radiant.

— mehera bonner, Marie Claire, "Here's Your First Look at Pippa Middleton and James Matthews as a Married Couple," 20 May 2017
Anthony Johnson and James Makokis ran the Vancouver marathon on May 7 and exchanged vows near mile 20 of the big race.

— elyse roth, Redbook, "This Couple Got Married In the Middle of a Marathon," 15 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of vow

Middle English vowe, from Anglo-French vou, from Latin votum, from neuter of votus, past participle of vovēre to vow; akin to Greek euchesthai to pray, vow, Sanskrit vāghat sacrificer

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined above

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vow Synonyms

Synonyms

oath, pledge, promise, troth, word;

agreement, compact, contract, covenant;

assurance, guarantee, guaranty, undertaking;

bail, bond, deposit, gage, pawn, security, token, warranty;

vow

verb

Definition of vow

transitive verb

1 : to promise solemnly : swear

2 : to bind or consecrate by a vow

intransitive verb

: to make a vow

—

vower

play \ˈvau̇(-ə)r\ noun

Recent Examples of vow from the Web

Under President Donald Trump, the Justice Department has made tighter immigration enforcement a priority, vowing to crack down on undocumented migrants and those with criminal records.

— shibani mahtani, WSJ, "Court Upholds Ruling Barring U.S. From Punishing Sanctuary Cities," 19 Apr. 2018
Flaherty, on the other hand, was quietly released by the Phillies after an outstanding spring training with the team and, without vowing anything, signed with the Atlanta Braves.

— bob brookover, Philly.com, "Phillies flattened by Ryan Flaherty | Extra Innings," 19 Apr. 2018
Footage of police cuffing and removing the two men barreled across social media, prompting Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson to publicly apologize and vow to meet with the men involved.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "Before video of a Starbucks arrest, images of lunch counter sit-ins helped launch a movement," 17 Apr. 2018
The coaches will dissect the quarterback battle this week, Meyer vowing to consider every rep of spring practice with offensive coordinators Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day.

— doug lesmerises, cleveland.com, "Dwayne Haskins is exactly the quarterback he was supposed to be: Doug Lesmerises," 16 Apr. 2018
The announcement Thursday from the Oklahoma Education Assn. does not necessarily end the protests at the Capitol, as teachers not affiliated with the union vowed to stay longer.

— washington post, latimes.com, "Oklahoma teacher walkout winds down despite lawmakers' failure to meet demands," 13 Apr. 2018
Once again, the protests showed something of a split personality, with some participants vowing to be peaceful, while a few feet away, others prepared gasoline bombs to hurl at the Israeli side.

— david m. halbfinger, BostonGlobe.com, "One killed as violence erupts anew at Israel-Gaza border," 13 Apr. 2018
Big Stick’ China vowed a harsh response to Trump’s latest threat, helping to spur a selloff that prompted the S&P 500 Index to fall 2.2 percent last Friday.

— Fortune, "U.S.-China Talks Said to Have Stalled on High-Tech Industry," 10 Apr. 2018
Its passage comes after General Assembly leaders last year vowed to begin tracking complaints against legislators, and to generate an annual report of the number and type of allegations, and how they were resolved.

— scott dance, baltimoresun.com, "In response to #MeToo, Maryland legislature to change how it polices sexual harassment," 9 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of vow

14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

vow

verb

Definition of vow

transitive verb

: avow, declare

Recent Examples of vow from the Web

Now that Claire and Jamie have vowed to stay together forever, what comes next?

— julie kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Outlander Stars Read More of Your Reunion Fan Fiction," 25 Oct. 2017
The importance of action on taxes rose significantly after the GOP Congress failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act after years of vowing to make that a priority.

— kristina peterson, WSJ, "Feud Between Trump, Corker Escalates," 24 Oct. 2017
Trump first vowed to designate the opioid crisis an emergency in August at the urging of New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who had led a presidential task force on the issue.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Report: Trump Administration Doesn’t Have an Opioid Strategy," 20 Oct. 2017
Auburn gained 117 total yards for the game, only 15 of them in the second half, and raised questions about whether Malzahn was meddling in the play-calling after vowing to retire his clipboard.

— kevin scarbinsky | kscarbinsky@al.com, AL.com, "Gus Malzahn's 10 worst losses at Auburn," 17 Oct. 2017
Or maybe, racked with grief, the Rebels vowed to return to Scarif to search for survivors among their brave team of martyrs only to find the pieces of this droid to rebuild.

— matt miller, Esquire, "Star Wars Fans Think They Found Evidence That K-2SO Survived Rogue One," 15 Sep. 2017
This may have had something to do with Trump's wildly embarrassing failure to repeal Obamacare, the health-care law that Republicans had been vowing to eliminate since 2010.

— bess levin, vanityfair.com, "Panicked Trump Backers Plan Media Blitz Highlighting His Greatest Hits," 29 Mar. 2017
This may have had something to do with Trump's wildly embarrassing failure to repeal Obamacare, the health-care law that Republicans had been vowing to eliminate since 2010.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Panicked Trump Backers Plan Media Blitz Highlighting His Greatest Hits," 29 Mar. 2017
Nohria vowed to increase that number to 20 percent over the next five years.

— liana satenstein, Marie Claire, "Harvard Business School Dean Apologizes for Past Treatment of Women," 30 Jan. 2014

Origin and Etymology of vow

Middle English, short for avowen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

VOW Defined for English Language Learners

vow

noun

Definition of vow for English Language Learners

: a serious promise to do something or to behave in a certain way

VOW Defined for Kids

vow

noun \ ˈvau̇ \

Definition of vow for Students

: a solemn promise or statement

vow

verb

Definition of vow for Students

vowed; vowing

: to make a solemn promise : swear

He vowed to follow all the rules.

Law Dictionary

vow

noun

legal Definition of vow

: a solemn promise or statement; especially : one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition

vow

transitive verb

legal Definition of vow

1 : to promise solemnly

2 : to bind or commit by a vow

intransitive verb

: to make a vow

—

vower

noun

Learn More about vow

See words that rhyme with vow Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for vow Spanish Central: Translation of vow Nglish: Translation of vow for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of vow for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vow

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vow

Definition of vow

Examples of vow in a Sentence

Recent Examples of vow from the Web

Origin and Etymology of vow

vow Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

vow

Definition of vow

vower

Recent Examples of vow from the Web

First Known Use of vow

vow

Definition of vow

Recent Examples of vow from the Web

Origin and Etymology of vow

Phrases Related to VOW

Related Phrases

VOW Defined for English Language Learners

vow

Definition of vow for English Language Learners

VOW Defined for Kids

vow

Definition of vow for Students

vow

Definition of vow for Students

Law Dictionary

vow

legal Definition of vow

vow

legal Definition of vow

vower

Learn More about vow

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