swearing 1 of 2

swearing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of swear
1
as in cursing
to use offensive or indecent language no one is allowed to swear in this house

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
as in testifying
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

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 swearing
Noun
When Greenspan joined the Ford administration as an economic adviser, Rand attended his swearing-in ceremony. Scott Horsley, NPR, 22 June 2026 After turning heads with $600 boots at her husband, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s, swearing-in ceremony, Duwaji has once again captured the attention of the fashion-obsessed with a look inspired by the New York Knicks. Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 18 June 2026 June 9 is the anniversary of your swearing-in, right? Kevin Townsend, The Atlantic, 18 June 2026 Fed day Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh departs from the East Room of the White House after a swearing-in ceremony, May 22, 2026. Alex Harring, CNBC, 17 June 2026 Russell plays the fool wonderfully as Fairchild's suffering boyfriend, reacting to the increasingly bizarre events as most of us would, with incredulity and swearing, and there are some brilliant sight gags sprinkled throughout the film. Ian Stokes, Space.com, 12 June 2026 There’s a good chance the next Sacramento City Council will consist of the same nine faces after its swearing-in ceremony in December. Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026 For the most part, all reliable and good, though occasionally, particularly during trips off-hours when ridership would fall off, the experience could be dicey with the train car almost empty and a rider shouting, swearing, smoking or even being threatening. Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
Verb
The trio signed the papers swearing their allegiance to the United States of America, not King George the Third. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 18 June 2026 Knowing auto engineers that probably means lots of swearing and finally using a crowbar and lump hammer to make the thing fit. New Atlas, 15 June 2026 Andrew has a long record of rudeness to staff, shouting and swearing at them and going against strict protocol rules over security. Christina Dugan Ramirez , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026 The Douglas County Sheriff's Office honored a Colorado veteran's decades of service and sacrifice by swearing him in as an honorary sheriff's deputy. Christa Swanson, CBS News, 25 May 2026 Davidson, 54, became the subject of numerous documentaries, and in 2019, made headlines for unintentionally swearing at Queen Elizabeth II while receiving an award for his advocacy work. Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026 Even the film’s critic-defying, pinky-swearing fanbase may be disappointed in the barebones production, jarring plotting, tired dialogue and ham-handed staging. Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026 If Rob Manfred were to wake up tomorrow morning and decide to do away with the seventh-inning stretch, untold amounts of swearing and freaking out would ensue, even though the origins of the practice are murky and the exercise itself is largely an empty signifier. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 Apr. 2026 The ambiguity around the word’s origins stems at least partly from a centuries-long moral panic over it, says Michael Adams, an English professor at Indiana University Bloomington who has written about swearing. Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swearing
Noun
  • The volume was very loud, and all that could be heard was one profanity after another.
    Judith Martin, Mercury News, 16 June 2026
  • And profanities featured in roughly 10% of all clauses, used at a rate substantially higher than the same speakers would use while awake.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
Verb
  • The woman started cursing her out.
    Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026
  • Throughout our conversation, Rosenbaum frequently cited examples in which obvious AI errors left him enraged and literally cursing at the machine.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2026
Verb
  • Abandoning his plans to take the throne for himself, and vowing his army to serve Rhaenyra, was a good start.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 19 June 2026
  • The decision, announced Thursday, marks the third such fake elector case filed by states to be dismissed, though the Democratic attorney general is vowing to bring it back to a grand jury in hopes of securing another indictment.
    Jacques Billeaud, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
Verb
  • Another major question hanging over any retrial is whether Murdaugh would once again take the witness stand after testifying during the original proceedings.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
  • Emboldened, Martin, who was a high school guidance counselor, found her second calling as a food safety advocate, testifying against raw-milk-access bills across the country.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
Noun
  • This was a weak case for blasphemy.
    Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
  • The president later removed the post in the face of outrage and accusations of blasphemy.
    Laura Kelly, The Hill, 4 May 2026
Verb
  • In the 2015 track, Sonya’s boyfriend finds them by the pool and starts cussing them out, pushing Coley to the ground, who, in turn, punches him.
    Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026
  • By the time Ben is unmaking the bed, lying in it, and cussing João out, the fight is bad.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 26 May 2026
Verb
  • Opponents of selling artifacts recovered from the wreckage say the company is bound by a 1990s agreement that gave RMS Titanic exclusive salvage rights to the ship in exchange for promising to never sell those items.
    Patrick Whittle, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
  • Netflix is promising to take it much further, globally in fact, as the streamer picked the film up out of Cannes and will be shepherding through awards season as well.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • In recent weeks, Avila Chevalier has been under a microscope for her past tweets, including posts calling for defunding the police and abolishing the border, alongside harsh insults of big-name Democrats such as former Vice President Kamala Harris.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 23 June 2026
  • Michael Lind, the writer and New America co-founder, argues in Commonplace, the magazine of Oren Cass’s American Compass, that a decent wage and a safety net should be enough, and that handing workers a stake in capital insults the dignity of their labor.
    Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swearing. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on swearing

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