swear 1 of 2

verb

ˈswer How to pronounce swear (audio)
Definition of swearnext
1
as in to curse
to use offensive or indecent language no one is allowed to swear in this house

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to promise
to make a solemn declaration of intent swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

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3
as in to testify
to make a solemn declaration under oath for the purpose of establishing a fact the sworn statement of the witness was presented as evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

swear

2 of 2

noun

as in curse
a disrespectful or indecent word or expression can't you express your frustration without using swears?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swear
Verb
Some swear that the alkaline water makes the shave ice even fluffier and lighter. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026 As Sportico detailed last year, McEnroe remembers MSG employees asking Oakley to leave and Oakley responding by swearing at them. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Noun
Kennedy could be heard hurling swears at the Swedish team. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 23 Feb. 2026 And Boring would be that much closer to its 90,000-rider pinkie-swear. — Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for swear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swear
  1. curse
  2. promise
  3. testify
  4. cuss
  5. blaspheme
  6. vow
  7. damn
  8. pledge
Verb
  • As a result of her refusal, the entire kingdom is cursed to live without love and anyone who steps foot inside it is also cursed.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Ella is a young woman cursed to obey all instructions whose quest for self-determination also turns her into an advocate for the kingdom’s oppressed elves and ogres.
    — Chris Bellamy, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of curse
Verb
  • The trailer also promises to touch on how then-contemporary thoughts of women as too innocent to murder helped Lizzie get acquitted, and teases the incorporation of other stories of female killers throughout history.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The fabric makeup of rayon, polyester, and spandex also promises four-way stretch for easy movement, too.
    — Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of promise
Verb
  • Jaclyn Skinner testified before lawmakers after being shot four times in an ambush while serving felony warrants.
    — Ginger Allen, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Austin Metcalf and others had repeatedly told Anthony to leave, witnesses testified, leading to an escalating confrontation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of testify
Noun
  • He’d just been followed down a country highway by an angry mob, which screamed cusses and gave him the finger.
    — Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026
  • My grandmother extended a ladder up into this tough old cuss of a tree and climbed up, at some risk, to pick the bulging fruit.
    — Jim Meddleton, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2024
Definition of cuss
Verb
  • Rushdie has spent almost 40 years under threat of death from Islamic extremists after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him, claiming Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses blasphemed Islam and mocked the Prophet Muhammad.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 July 2026
  • For his followers, blaspheming the Holocaust and celebrating Hitler became a way to signal contempt for the political religion of postwar liberalism.
    — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Definition of blaspheme
Verb
  • While Lindsey Graham was focused on foreign policy and national security, having returned from a trip to Ukraine to visit President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a day before his death, his sister has vowed to focus on issues affecting South Carolinians.
    — Sophia Vlahakis, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The 35-year-old Fedorov was a longtime ally of Zelensky until his unexpected firing from the Defense Ministry in July, just six months after he had been appointed, vowing sweeping reforms.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of vow
Verb
  • That the one child of Viserys who could see the world with any clarity has chosen to weave herself out of it is its own damning prophecy.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • One damning part of the plan involved a potential future role for Infantino in the investment fund.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of damn
Verb
  • The developer pledges to build a public plaza and a new CTA bus stop.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Bezos, who stepped down as CEO five years ago, pledged in 2013 to build a network of drones to deliver small packages in 30 minutes or less.
    — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of pledge

Browse Nearby Words

sways
swear
swear in
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Cite this Entry

“Swear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swear. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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