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

Relevance
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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

swear

2 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Despite all of that, in a rare sit-down interview, Glenn swears that his vision for this team hasn’t changed. — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 Under the current system, pretrial service employees, not sworn law enforcement officers, oversee compliance. — Eileen Burke, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 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
  • Locals warn him that the island has been cursed for centuries.
    — Nicholas DeRenzo, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Kangas said their parents must keep them away from the doctor to set an example, so the young ones won’t be cursed later in life by turning to medicine.
    — Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of curse
Verb
  • The couple was ready to back out, but the contractor promised to repair the damage at no extra cost, and an inspector said that Pinky’s bones were still good.
    — Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Samsung also promises improved video quality at night, calling it brighter and clearer with less noise.
    — James Peckham, PC Magazine, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of promise
Verb
  • Maxwell was subpoenaed to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee and appeared virtually in February.
    — Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Judge Sullivan told jurors that Heilbrun and one more witness should be the final people to testify.
    — NBC News, NBC news, 25 Aug. 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
  • His son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to avenge his death.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Bonta also vowed to defend SB 976, the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act, a new California law that is being challenged by tech giants on First Amendment grounds.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of vow
Verb
  • The news that Henderson will split the workload again with Rhamondre Stevenson in 2026 is not that damning.
    — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • That the one child of Viserys who could see the world with any clarity has chosen to weave herself out of it is its own damning prophecy.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of damn
Verb
  • As part of a landmark settlement in a social media addiction case, the tech behemoth pledged to impose daily limits on use by teens and enhance its age verification measures, among other steps.
    — Yasmin Vossoughian, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Oracle, which announced Project Jupiter, has offered funding for youth programs and pledged to invest $50 million in water and wastewater systems in Doña Ana County.
    — Will Weissert, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of pledge

Browse Nearby Words

sways
swear
swear in
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swear. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All