to swear out

3 8.4

To tell a court that someone did something wrong so it gives a warrant

phrasal verb
/swɛr aʊt/

Jargon

: solicitar

After gathering enough evidence, the detective was ready to swear out a warrant for the suspect's arrest.
swear out a warrant
swear out a complaint

I'm going to go swear out a, a warrant for him and, and A and A and a complaint.

Examples

I just swore out some warrants for your arrest.

Short Circuit (1986)
I swore out the complaint myself.

Fashions of 1934 (1934)
Then we're going downtown to swear out your statement.

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
I'm coming in to swear out a warrant against you.

Moonshine County Express (1977)
As soon as I get back, I'm gonna swear out a warrant for your arrest.

The Night of the Iguana (1964)
You mean you want to swear out warrants for their arrest?

Jesse James (1939)
Lou, let's swear out a warrant for her arrest.

Chinatown (1974)
Well, I was hoping you might stop by my office to swear out a criminal deposition against some of your friends and co-workers.

Fiction book (1998)
Swear out a warrant for the arrest of Mrs. Landis on the suspicion of murder.

After the Thin Man (1936)
He considered swearing out a complaint against the Abbe before the Republic's lieutenant of police.

Fiction book (1992)

Surface Forms

swear out infinitive

swearing out present participle

swears out third person singular

swore out past

sworn out past participle

Morphology

swear + out

Although 'swear' (make a solemn oath) is directly related to the MWE's legal sense, the particle 'out' creates a specialized procedural meaning ('to swear out a warrant') that is not compositionally obvious. The expression is a domain-specific legal phrasal verb whose full sense a B1 learner knowing only the constituents would probably not predict without exposure.

Etymology

The verb swear out comes from a legal picture: someone says something 'under oath' (swear) to an official, who then issues a paper out, for example a warrant or summons, to start a legal case. So, to swear out a warrant means to give that sworn statement so the officer issues the legal paper.