swear.html - {v.} 1. To use as the support or authority that what you are saying is truthful; take an oath upon. * /A witness swears by the Bible that he will tell the truth./ * /In ancient Greece a doctor swore by Apollo, the god of healing, that he would be a good doctor./ * /John swore by his honor he would return the bike./ 2. To have complete confidence in; be sure of; trust completely. * /When John has to go somewhere fast, he swears by his bike to get there./ * /We can be sure that Fred will come on time, since his friend Tom swears by him./

swear.html - {v.} To have a person swear or promise to do his duty as a member or an officer of an organization, government department, or similar group. - "Swear into" is used when the name of the group is given. * /Mary and Ann will be sworn into the club tonight./ * /Fred was sworn in as class president./ * /Many new men were sworn into the army last month./ * /At the inauguration, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court swore in the new President./

swear.html - {v.}, {informal} To give up something you like or you have got in the habit of using by making a promise. * /Mary swore off candy until she lost ten pounds./ * /John has sworn off dessert for Lent./

swear.html - {v.} To get (a written order to do something) by swearing that a person has broken the law. * /The policeman swore out a warrant for the suspect's arrest./ * /The detectives swore out a search warrant./

swear.html - v. & n.
--v.

(past swore; past part. sworn)
1 tr. a (often foll. by to + infin. or that + clause) state or promise solemnly or on oath. b take (an oath).
2 tr. colloq. say emphatically; insist (swore he had not seen it).
3 tr. cause to take an oath (swore them to secrecy).
4 intr. (often foll. by at) use profane or indecent language, esp. as an expletive or from anger.
5 tr. (often foll. by against) make a sworn affirmation of (an offence) (swear treason against).
6 intr. (foll. by by) a appeal to as a witness in taking an oath (swear by Almighty God). b colloq. have or express great confidence in (swears by yoga).
7 intr. (foll. by to; usu. in neg.) admit the certainty of (could not swear to it).
8 intr. (foll. by at) colloq. (of colours etc.) fail to harmonize with.

--n.

a spell of swearing.

swear blind colloq. affirm emphatically. swear in induct into office etc. by administering an oath. swear off colloq. promise to abstain from (drink etc.). swear-word a profane or indecent word, esp. uttered as an expletive.

swearer n. [OE swerian f. Gmc, rel. to ANSWER]

swear.html - {v.} 1. To use as the support or authority that what you are saying is truthful; take an oath upon. * /A witness swears by the Bible that he will tell the truth./ * /In ancient Greece a doctor swore by Apollo, the god of healing, that he would be a good doctor./ * /John swore by his honor he would return the bike./ 2. To have complete confidence in; be sure of; trust completely. * /When John has to go somewhere fast, he swears by his bike to get there./ * /We can be sure that Fred will come on time, since his friend Tom swears by him./