Thesaurus results for SWEAR

swear 1 of 2

verb

ˈswer

Definition of swear

as in to curse

to use offensive or indecent language no one is allowed to swear in this house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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

News of the fire reached musician Linda Ronstadt, who swore that Dan Tana’s served the best plate of spaghetti in the world. — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026 Poway City Council members welcomed Anita Edmondson as she was sworn into office as a new councilmember on July 7. — Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 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

Verb

And somehow, the process managed to produce a nation where children curse, dream, and throw tantrums in Hebrew without anyone feeling for a moment as if they were trapped in a historical reënactment.

— Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Trump is twice divorced, relishes cursing publicly and offers a never-ending onslaught of falsehoods.

— Will Weissert, Fortune, 18 July 2026

Definition of curse

Verb

By 2009, with lavish pension benefits promised but unpaid, CalPERS had $115 billion in debt.

— Zachary Christensen, Oc Register, 24 July 2026
Local officials have expressed concern that the Games will not bring the economic impact organizers have promised — somewhere in the $13-18 billion range.

— Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Definition of promise

Verb

Purchases allegedly made by Burke under aliases also included cadaver bags, heavy-duty laundry bags, chain saws, a shovel and a fireproof mat, Byers testified.

— Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 22 July 2026
Shortly after Gabbard’s report, Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, subpoenaed Fauci to testify before the committee.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 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

Wu vowed at last week’s vigil that the city would conduct an analysis of road design at the corridor where Gag was killed and recommit to bike lanes and street safety projects that she has been hammered for pausing in the wake of Gag’s death.

— Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 22 July 2026
Both sides have vowed to remain fiercely independent of the other as nationalist tensions run high amid the global AI arms race.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 22 July 2026

Definition of vow

Verb

Lawmakers had started impeachment proceedings in June after a damning parliamentary report concluded the president had a case to answer regarding the handling of the theft, including why such large amounts of cash were kept in a sofa at the farm.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
In traditional translations of Homer, Circe is often portrayed as a villain, someone who revels in luring victims to her island and damning them to her animal menagerie.

— Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 19 July 2026

Definition of damn

Browse Nearby Words

sways

swear

swear in

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Swear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swear. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of swear

verb

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on swear

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

sultry

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes