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vow

vow

279 3.4
A serious promise to do or not do something, often for religious reasons
  • noun
  • /vaʊ/
  • Formal
translation icon : voto
  • I told her that I made vows to her in sickness and in health, and she's sick.
  • make a vow
  • take a vow
  • break a vow

It's a symbol of my vows to you.

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Examples

  • The priest read the couple's wedding vows during the ceremony.

  • Those are the vows you wrote for our wedding day.

  • Did you ever take a vow to stay in New York?

  • And I think people have the sense that once you've made the vow, it should be done.

  • It's a symbol of my vows to you.

  • They took a vow of silence.

  • And in the fall, I'm actually going to exchange marriage vows with my beloved, thank you very much.

  • We can renew our vows, babe.

  • After you banished me, I made a solemn vow never to return.

  • Drizzt remembered a vow he had made when he left the dark elf city.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

promise
vsvow
1.0

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

is more solemn and often tied to religious or formal ceremonies than simple assurance
commitment
vsvow
829 3.3

A promise to support a person, cause, or plan

is usually a single solemn ceremony often with religious importance rather than ongoing dedication
oath
vsvow
  • Formal
385 3.6

A formal promise made in a serious or official situation

is often used in religious or personal ceremonies rather than official settings
guarantee
vsvow
  • Formal
293 2.7

A written promise that something will meet standards or happen

is a solemn personal pledge with religious or ceremonial meaning rather than written form
pledge
vsvow
206 3.7

A serious promise to do or stop doing something

is framed as a sacred promise with religious or personal meaning
assurance
vsvow
103 3.4

A firm promise to do or not do something

is more ceremonial and often has religious or formal weight than a firm commitment
word of honor
vsvow
  • Formal
8 4.0

A serious promise to tell the truth or keep a secret

is used for solemn commitments with religious or formal significance rather than only honesty
troth
vsvow
  • Archaic
7 9.9

A serious promise to be loyal, often made before marriage

is broader, used for solemn promises beyond loyalty or marriage contexts
sacramentum
vsvow
  • Archaic
9.9

A serious promise soldiers make to the state or their commander

is a solemn promise without the specific ancient legal or military context

Antonyms

1.0

To stop an activity or end a habit

to renounce
  • Formal
69 6.3

To give up a right, belief, job, or position officially

to disavow
  • Formal
33 7.7

To say you are not responsible for or connected to something

How Solemn

covenant
  • Literature
46 8.2
vow
  • Formal
279 3.4
oath
  • Formal
385 3.6
pledge
206 3.7
promise
1.0

Surface Forms

vow singular
vows plural

Etymology

The word vow comes from the Latin noun votum 'a promise' and is the same root behind words like devotion and vote. So a vow is a formal, often religious, promise.