swear 1 of 2

verb

ˈswer How to pronounce swear (audio)
Definition of swearnext
1
as in to curse
to use offensive or indecent language no one is allowed to swear in this house

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to promise
to make a solemn declaration of intent swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

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3
as in to testify
to make a solemn declaration under oath for the purpose of establishing a fact the sworn statement of the witness was presented as evidence

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swear

2 of 2

noun

as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression can't you express your frustration without using swears?

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swear
Verb
Among the minimum qualifications for the job are at least 15 years of service in law enforcement and 5–7 years in leadership positions at a large department with 1,000 or more sworn law enforcement officers. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026 Some, including the Idaho Potato Commission, swear that the way a baked potato is opened affects the texture, eschewing a knife for a fork to gently poke a plus sign into the surface. — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 23 Feb. 2026 And Boring would be that much closer to its 90,000-rider pinkie-swear. — Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for swear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swear
  1. curse
  2. promise
  3. testify
  4. cuss
  5. blaspheme
  6. vow
  7. damn
  8. pledge
Verb
  • In most versions of the Greek mythology, Medusa is a beautiful woman that was cursed by the goddess Athena with a head of snakes instead of hair and the horrible ability to turn people to stone with just one look.
    — Lynsey Eidell, Glamour, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Seeman appeared to curse at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, and Hill confronted Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson after being inadvertently knocked down.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of curse
Verb
  • The government also promised 15,000 additional places in higher education, introduced across the next two years, and increases in student grants linked to inflation from the start of the next academic year.
    — Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Lula has promised expensive measures that appeal to his grassroots base.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of promise
Verb
  • Some of the women expected to address the court did not testify at trial and could discuss new allegations against the brothers not charged in the indictment, prosecutors have said.
    — Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The reason Barnes can testify about its own history, Young explains, comes down to the temperature at its base.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of testify
Noun
  • He’d just been followed down a country highway by an angry mob, which screamed cusses and gave him the finger.
    — Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026
  • My grandmother extended a ladder up into this tough old cuss of a tree and climbed up, at some risk, to pick the bulging fruit.
    — Jim Meddleton, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2024
Definition of cuss
Verb
  • Rushdie has spent almost 40 years under threat of death from Islamic extremists after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him, claiming Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses blasphemed Islam and mocked the Prophet Muhammad.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 July 2026
  • For his followers, blaspheming the Holocaust and celebrating Hitler became a way to signal contempt for the political religion of postwar liberalism.
    — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Definition of blaspheme
Verb
  • The attack sparked outrage in Israel, with Netanyahu traveling to the attack site and vowing to respond forcefully.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • McElroy, who learned of the approval while vacationing in Italy, vowed to keep fighting and said the community had grown as new residents moved in.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of vow
Verb
  • Those are some of the damning findings in the latest report by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Hallett.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors assembled thousands of pages of text messages and emails, obtained bank and flight records, gathered corroborating witnesses, and collected video footage of freak-offs and the damning tape of Combs attacking Ventura.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of damn
Verb
  • Netanyahu’s main challenger, former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, opposes Palestinian statehood and has pledged to destroy Hamas’ military wing.
    — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Bolsonaro made a tough-on-crime approach the cornerstone of his campaign and pledged to bring down food costs while Lula, trying to lure undecided voters, has invested in costly incentives.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of pledge

Browse Nearby Words

sways
swear
swear in
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Cite this Entry

“Swear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swear. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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