Meaning of "swear" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SWEAR

Old English swerian; related to Old Norse sverja, Gothic swaran, Old Frisian swera, German schwören.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF SWEAR

swear  [swɛə]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SWEAR

Swear is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb swear in English.

WHAT DOES SWEAR MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Swear

Swear or Swearing may refer to: ▪ Making an oath, also known as swearing an oath ▪ Profanity ▪ The Swear, a band ▪ "Swear", a 1980s pop song by Tim Scott ▪ "Swear", a j-pop song by Alan Dawa Dolma from the album My Life ▪ Swear, A funky brand, known for its collection of freaky rave shoes.

Definition of swear in the English dictionary

The first definition of swear in the dictionary is to declare or affirm as true, esp by invoking a deity, etc, as witness. Other definition of swear is to invoke by name as a witness or guarantee to an oath. Swear is also to trust implicitly; have complete confidence.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO SWEAR

PRESENT

Present

I swear

you swear

he/she/it swears

we swear

you swear

they swear

Present continuous

I am swearing

you are swearing

he/she/it is swearing

we are swearing

you are swearing

they are swearing

Present perfect

I have sworn

you have sworn

he/she/it has sworn

we have sworn

you have sworn

they have sworn

Present perfect continuous

I have been swearing

you have been swearing

he/she/it has been swearing

we have been swearing

you have been swearing

they have been swearing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I swore

you swore

he/she/it swore

we swore

you swore

they swore

Past continuous

I was swearing

you were swearing

he/she/it was swearing

we were swearing

you were swearing

they were swearing

Past perfect

I had sworn

you had sworn

he/she/it had sworn

we had sworn

you had sworn

they had sworn

Past perfect continuous

I had been swearing

you had been swearing

he/she/it had been swearing

we had been swearing

you had been swearing

they had been swearing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will swear

you will swear

he/she/it will swear

we will swear

you will swear

they will swear

Future continuous

I will be swearing

you will be swearing

he/she/it will be swearing

we will be swearing

you will be swearing

they will be swearing

Future perfect

I will have sworn

you will have sworn

he/she/it will have sworn

we will have sworn

you will have sworn

they will have sworn

Future perfect continuous

I will have been swearing

you will have been swearing

he/she/it will have been swearing

we will have been swearing

you will have been swearing

they will have been swearing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would swear

you would swear

he/she/it would swear

we would swear

you would swear

they would swear

Conditional continuous

I would be swearing

you would be swearing

he/she/it would be swearing

we would be swearing

you would be swearing

they would be swearing

Conditional perfect

I would have swear

you would have swear

he/she/it would have swear

we would have swear

you would have swear

they would have swear

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been swearing

you would have been swearing

he/she/it would have been swearing

we would have been swearing

you would have been swearing

they would have been swearing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you swear
we let´s swear
you swear

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to swear

Past participle

sworn

Present Participle

swearing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «SWEAR»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «swear» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of swear

affirm · assert · asseverate · attest · avow · blaspheme · curse · cuss · declare · depose · imprecate · promise · swear blind · take an oath · testify · vow · warrant

TRANSLATION OF SWEAR

Find out the translation of swear to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of swear from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «swear» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 宣誓
• Translator English - Spanish: jurar
• English: swear
• Translator English - Hindi: कसम खाता
• Translator English - Arabic: يَشْتِمُ
• Translator English - Russian: клясться
• Translator English - Portuguese: xingar
• Translator English - Bengali: শপথ
• Translator English - French: jurer
• Translator English - Malay: Bersumpah
• Translator English - German: fluchen
• Translator English - Japanese: ののしる
• Translator English - Korean: 맹세하다
• Translator English - Javanese: Sumpah
• Translator English - Vietnamese: chửi thề
• Translator English - Tamil: சத்தியம்
• Translator English - Marathi: शपथ घे
• Translator English - Turkish: yemin etmek
• Translator English - Italian: giurare
• Translator English - Polish: przysiąc
• Translator English - Ukrainian: лаятися
• Translator English - Romanian: a înjura
• Translator English - Greek: ορκίζομαι
• Translator English - Afrikaans: sweer
• Translator English - Swedish: svära
• Translator English - Norwegian: banne

10 QUOTES WITH «SWEAR»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word swear.

1

Shinzo Abe

I swear I will do everything in my power to change the situation in Tibet where human rights are being suppressed. Tibet seeks freedom and democracy and we agree on those values.

2

Edward Albee

I swear, if you existed I'd divorce you.

3

Vittorio Alfieri

Liars are always most disposed to swear.

4

Tim Allen

I like Pixie Sticks. Yeah, screw the middle man. Just a tube of sugar... I'd pour two of those in a big 12 ounce coke. And I'd go out to catechism class and try to concentrate on the priest. I saw Jesus several times. I swear I did.

5

Steve Aoki

My life, I swear, is, like, 75% public. I have a very small percentage of my life that is private. But I do keep that private life private.

6

Drew Barrymore

I think happiness is a choice. If you feel yourself being happy and can settle in to the life choices you make, then it's great. It's really, really great. I swear to God, happiness is the best makeup.

7

Carla Bruni

Marriage is another trap. If you are someone who likes independence, it's another stamp against that. And you have to swear to fidelity.

8

Robert Brustein

Forty years later, people still swear they can hear his offstage scream.

9

Leo Burnett

To swear off making mistakes is very easy. All you have to do is swear off having ideas.

10

Adam Carolla

I swear my car won't run unless I'm picking my nose: At least, I'm that superstitious about it, so I don't want to take any chances.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SWEAR»

Discover the use of swear in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to swear and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Swear

In Swoon, Connecticut, seventeen-year-old Dice's life is returning to normal after Sinclair stole her heart and disappeared, but when her best friend's boyfriend goes missing Dice finds that Sinclair and an old promise are involved and she ...

Nina Malkin, 2012

How to Swear Around the World

Collects curses and ways to tell people off in different world languages, including Italian, Russian, Finnish, Mongolian, Turkish, Tagalog, Arabic, and Hindi.

Jason Sacher, 2012

I Swear I Use No Art at All: 10 Years, 100 Books, 18,788 ...

In the eponymous accompanying essay, Grootens gives a personal account of making books and the ideas behind his designs. This edition includes "Book 101," which describes the design and production of the first edition

‎2010

Moms Who Drink and Swear: True Tales of Loving My Kids While ...

Based on the popular Facebook page, offers humorous anecdotes and stories about the trials of motherhood.

Nicole Knepper, 2013

I Swear I Saw This: Drawings in Fieldwork Notebooks, Namely ...

I Swear I Saw This records visionary anthropologist Michael Taussig’s reflections on the fieldwork notebooks he kept through forty years of travels in Colombia.

Michael Taussig, 2011

I Swear

When a bullied teen commits suicide, her abusers argue that the girl was a weak coward and agree to keep their stories consistent to protect each other, a pact that unravels throughout a court case that reveals their acts of cyber bullying ...

Lane Davis, 2013

I swear by Apollo

In this novel, Ogola tells of the lives of AIDS' orphans Lisa, Johnny and Alicia, and how they are guided to adulthood by their aunt Wandia, an intellectual and independent woman.

Margaret A. Ogola, 2002

Swear to Howdy

What would a true friend do now? Wendelin Van Draanen has written her most compelling, richly layered book yet. It’s a thought-provoking look at the boundaries of friendship and what it really means to be true. From the Hardcover edition.

Wendelin Van Draanen, 2008

Swear to God: The Promise and Power of the Sacraments

In Swear to God, Dr. Scott Hahn explores the richness of Christ’s sacraments—their doctrine, history, symbols, and rituals.

Scott Hahn, 2005

Solemnly Swear

The dialogue is refreshingly realistic. And each chapter ends with just enough enticement to make the novel impossible to put down. If you're in the mood for a good mystery/thriller, I highly recommend, Joe Porrazzo's Solemnly Swear.

Joe Porrazzo, 2007

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SWEAR»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term swear is used in the context of the following news items.

Passengers ordered to stop swearing on holiday flight from Glasgow …

This led to a flight attendant to say over the tannoy system: 'Ladies and gentlemen, please remain quiet. There are travellers on board with young children. «Daily Mail, Jul 15»

Stephen Hawking's kids used to make his speech synthesizer say …

"I was being quite respectful, but then Tim said: 'Yeah, but we did used to get into dad's wheelchair and use it as a go kart' or, 'We did used to put swear words ... «Mashable, Jun 15»

Gordon Ramsay doesn't swear in his own house: "My kids know not …

The 49-year-old TV chef is notoriously foul-mouthed at work, but insists he doesn't transgress around his house, because of the presence of his children, ... «mirror.co.uk, Apr 15»

Taber, Alberta buzzing about new bylaw (But, don't swear or yell …

Global News. But, some of the rules the bylaw encompasses are getting a lot of attention. Swear or yell in public and you could be handed at $150 dollar fine. «Globalnews.ca, Mar 15»

Joe Biden swearing in senators makes great TV

The vice president dutifully fulfilled his ceremonial duties Tuesday by re-enacting swearing-in ceremonies for senators old and new. It's a biennial tradition that, ... «CNN, Jan 15»

Charles County Swears in First Black Sheriff

Charles County has sworn in its first African-American sheriff in the office's 356-year history. News4's Chris Gordon reports. (Published Tuesday, Dec 2, 2014). «NBC4 Washington, Dec 14»

Phillip Schofield reveals he's 'worried about swearing' during 24hr …

He said: "For 24 hours, there is no question that I am worried about swearing. I don't swear a lot but I do swear and 24 hours is a very good way of forgetting that ... «Mirror.co.uk, Nov 14»

Isis issues rules for journalists forcing them to 'swear allegiance as …

After beheading two American journalists, Isis militants have reportedly issued rules to reporters still operating in areas they control forcing them to swear ... «The Independent, Oct 14»

Twitterquette: should you ever swear on Twitter?

A recent study into swearing on Twitter conducted over the period of a week showed that “coarse language” on the site peaked on transfer deadline day - with ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Sep 14»

Where in the UK do people swear most on Twitter?

Research has revealed the areas of the UK in which Twitter users are most likely to swear in their posts. Researchers from the Centre for Advanced Spatial ... «BBC News, Sep 14»