swore

verb

Definition of sworenext
past tense of swear
1
as in cursed
to use offensive or indecent language no one is allowed to swear in this house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in vowed
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 testified
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 swore After her split from Gest, Liza swore she wouldn’t get married again. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 27 Sep. 2026 Shabazz started packing up his video equipment and swore audibly at officers several more times. — Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 10 Sep. 2026 Bowie swore her allegiance to ISIS through multiple audio recordings and conducted surveillance at the Capitol at least five times, taking dozens of photos, according to Tremaroli. — Lila Dominus, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026 Cloobeck allegedly contacted Lavie’s attorney, swore at him and threatened him, his property and members of his family, according to the complaint. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh said in a statement Thursday that Immigration Minister Tony Burke swore them in the day before at a citizenship ceremony in their Australian home city of Brisbane. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 Even Jane Fonda, who swore Raman into office after her 2024 city council reelection, endorsed Karen Bass for mayor instead. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026 While Duncan said that Bottalico swore the pitch got away from him, Bonds denied it. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026 Raison, who had previously studied meditation, used the EAR to evaluate whether two hundred people who participated in meditation subsequently became kinder, swore less, or engaged in deeper conversations. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 8 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swore
  1. cursed
  2. vowed
  3. testified
  4. cussed
  5. promised
  6. pledged
Verb
  • Kristian Matsson, who records under the moniker The Tallest Man on Earth, is both blessed and cursed by having arrived nearly fully formed.
    — David Harris, SPIN, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Shunned by locals, who believe she is cursed, Eleni turns to ancient rituals to resurrect her dead offspring but instead summons malevolent folkloric creatures known as the Kalikantzari.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of cursed
Verb
  • David Jolly is the son of a preacher man, but has vowed never to use his religion as a cudgel against anyone’s beliefs.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
  • After hearing the guilty verdict, Davis vowed to pursue an appeal.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of vowed
Verb
  • Saxon testified that West planned to turn the luxury beachfront home, designed by prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando, into an off-the-grid bunker.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Vaccaro Hill testified during the trial that Hill shoved her to the ground, twisted her breasts, pulled her hair and threatened her.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of testified
Verb
  • Only his father’s respectability, and perhaps his odd Motown accent, spared him from getting cussed out by bridesmaids at society weddings as a wastrel and drunkard, a shameless woman-wrapper.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Many of them cussed at me, as if having dialogue is not allowed.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of cussed
Verb
  • Peltola has also promised to expand the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which help low-income households pay for their energy bills.
    — Maydeen Merino, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Vaonis has promised to expand the Atlas ecosystem after launch, including a backpack, filters, an equatorial wedge and most importantly, new imaging modules.
    — Harry Bennett, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of promised
Verb
  • Advertisement After the ban, Rooney pledged to donate money from her book sales to the group.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The mayor before that, Bill de Blasio, had pledged to eliminate the rides on day one of his administration but abandoned the crusade after heavy opposition from unions and a media blitz involving actor Liam Neeson.
    — Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of pledged

Browse Nearby Words

swords
swore
swore in
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swore. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fervid

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
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
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All