Definition of vow
: a solemn promise or assertion; specifically : one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition
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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
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The advertisement opens in a pastoral setting, with a bride and a groom about to take their vows.
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In her novels, Affection is a proxy for freedom—and, thus, as something that should present itself, in the modern way, long before the vicar has been summoned and the vows have been made.
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These days, as Mr. Trump moves forward with his vows to increase deportations throughout the country, Mr. Reyes Savalza, who has legal status through DACA, sees his job as more difficult.
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After taking office, Trump made good on his vow to up the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and deport undocumented immigrants.
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By the end, the fight centered on Mr. LePage’s vow not to sign a budget this year with tax increases.
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IBM has announced many partnerships with brands to use Watson, but despite a vow to be transparent last year, CEO Ginni Rometty has yet to publicly disclose any indication of how well the program is performing in the market.
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But there might not be a new progressive Justice, either, given the vows of many Republicans to block her from placing anyone on the Court.
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India hopes Trump's vow to take a harder line on Islamic extremism will mean a tougher stance on Pakistan over militants that India blames for attacks on its territory.
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
Recent Examples of vow from the Web
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The men vowed to return to the spot 50 years later, but most were dead by 1832.
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As part of her lengthy opening statement, Childress shifted the focus of jurors to the relationship Daniel and Jeffrey Rak shared, including their struggles with alcoholism and vows to sober up.
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McConnell, a Republican and the Senate majority leader, has vowed to repeal and replaces the law despised by many in his party.
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School closures: Arlington alumni vow to fight for their school.
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The fellows — who were predominately women and minorities from the Rangel and Pickering fellowship programs — had already completed an internship, graduate-level work, and vowed to dedicate at least five years to the Foreign Service.
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Businesses that vowed to remain after last summer's flood – caused when nearly 6 inches of rain fell in under three hours – have rebuilt and reopened, to much fanfare.
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The Oroville Dam spillway failure in February proved to be the first major infrastructure crisis of the Trump Administration, a presidency that has vowed to make infrastructure a priority, though so far with little to show for the promise.
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But the U.K. Government immediately rejected the U.N. finding and vowed to ignore it.
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.
First Known Use of vow
14th century
Recent Examples of vow from the Web
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The men vowed to return to the spot 50 years later, but most were dead by 1832.
-
As part of her lengthy opening statement, Childress shifted the focus of jurors to the relationship Daniel and Jeffrey Rak shared, including their struggles with alcoholism and vows to sober up.
-
McConnell, a Republican and the Senate majority leader, has vowed to repeal and replaces the law despised by many in his party.
-
School closures: Arlington alumni vow to fight for their school.
-
The fellows — who were predominately women and minorities from the Rangel and Pickering fellowship programs — had already completed an internship, graduate-level work, and vowed to dedicate at least five years to the Foreign Service.
-
Businesses that vowed to remain after last summer's flood – caused when nearly 6 inches of rain fell in under three hours – have rebuilt and reopened, to much fanfare.
-
The Oroville Dam spillway failure in February proved to be the first major infrastructure crisis of the Trump Administration, a presidency that has vowed to make infrastructure a priority, though so far with little to show for the promise.
-
But the U.K. Government immediately rejected the U.N. finding and vowed to ignore it.
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, short for avowen
VOW Defined for English Language Learners
vow
playDefinition of vow for English Language Learners
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: a serious promise to do something or to behave in a certain way
VOW Defined for Kids
Law Dictionary
vow
Legal Definition of vow
: a solemn promise or statement; especially : one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition
vow
Legal Definition of vow
1 : to promise solemnly
2 : to bind or commit by a vow
intransitive verb
: to make a vow
vower
nounLearn More about vow
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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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