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🤬 Using bad words 🤞 Making a promise
swearing

swearing

16 4.7
A promise made in court to tell the truth
  • noun
  • /ˈswɛrɪŋ/
  • Formal
translation icon : juramento
  • At Davidow's swearing-in, most of the congressmen present were from the Southwest.
  • swearing-in ceremony
  • false swearing

Examples

  • Congressman Albert Thomas, a Texan, received the smiling wink from LBJ immediately after the swearing in.

    Blog text (24)

  • In July of 1993, Triton College hosted its first-ever "Citizenship Swearing-In Ceremony," presided over and organized by Nuevos Horizontes staff.

    Academic text (1995)

  • We'll have a formal swearing in later.

    Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

  • When it comes time for your swearing in today, you're not gonna be there.

    Good Guys Wear Black (1978)

  • Hey, stop by my reception after the swearing-in tomorrow, okay?

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Two weeks after his swearing in, the first Tea Bagger chapter was established.

    Blog text (32)

  • In October 1993, following his swearing in to a third term in office, President Mubarak called for a national dialogue.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The preliminaries and the swearing-in will take another hour or so.

    Tennessee Johnson (1942)

  • President Wilson delivered a speech at one of the swearing-in ceremonies staged before a giant crowd in Philadelphia (Miller, 1997).

    Academic text (2008)

  • The swearing in ceremony for the new governor will take place at noon.

Synonyms

promise
vsswearing
∞ 1.0

A statement by someone saying they will or will not do something

is the act of making such assurances formally to tell truth in court
oath
vsswearing
  • Formal
385 3.6

A formal promise made in a serious or official situation

is the act of making such formal promises especially during court procedures
vow
vsswearing
  • Formal
279 3.4

A serious promise to do or not do something, often for religious reasons

is the act of making such promises in court to tell truth
pledge
vsswearing
206 3.7

A serious promise to do or stop doing something

is the act of making such commitments as a legal promise to tell truth
assurance
vsswearing
103 3.4

A firm promise to do or not do something

is the act of making that firm commitment in court to confirm truth
word of honor
vsswearing
  • Formal
8 4.0

A serious promise to tell the truth or keep a secret

is the act of making such guarantees formally in legal settings to show truth
affirmation
vsswearing
  • Formal
4 6.1

A formal promise to tell the truth instead of taking an oath

is the act of making solemn declarations to tell truth in legal settings
affirmance
vsswearing
  • Archaic
9.6

A formal statement saying something is true instead of swearing an oath

is the act of making that legal declaration when required to tell the truth
sacramentum
vsswearing
  • Archaic
9.9

A serious promise soldiers make to the state or their commander

is the act of making such pledges especially for truth or duty in court

Antonyms

to break a promise
16 2.6

To fail to do what you said you would do

How Formal

oath
  • Formal
385 3.6
swearing
  • Formal
16 4.7
pledge
206 3.7
promise
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

swearing singular
swearings plural

Morphology

swearing = swear (transparent) = swear + ing

Standard gerund/nominalization from the verb 'swear' meaning 'to take an oath', so the noun directly denotes the act of swearing.

Etymology

Swearing comes from an old English word swerian, which meant 'to promise' or 'to declare by an oath'. People used to 'swear' by gods or sacred things to show a promise was serious, so swearing still means making a solemn promise, for example in court.