Upon
is formal and less commonly used thanon
.) •He swore upon the Bible to tell the truth.
•I swear on the memory of my sainted mother that I am telling the truth.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
swear — [swer] vi. swore, sworn, swearing [ME swerien < OE swerian, akin to Ger schwören < IE base * swer , to speak > OSlav svariti, to revile] 1. to make a solemn declaration with an appeal to God or to something held sacred for confirmation… … English World dictionary
swear — [ swer ] (past tense swore [ swɔr ] ; past participle sworn [ swɔrn ] ) verb ** 1. ) intransitive to use words that are deliberately offensive, for example because you are angry with someone: That s the first time I ve ever heard him swear. swear … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
swear — S2 [sweə US swer] v past tense swore [swo: US swo:r] past participle sworn [swo:n US swo:rn] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(offensive language)¦ 2¦(promise)¦ 3¦(state the truth)¦ 4 somebody could have sworn (that) ... 5¦(public promise)¦ 6 swear somebody to… … Dictionary of contemporary English
swear someone to secrecy — swear someone to secrecy/silence/ phrase to make someone promise not to tell anyone else what you have told them I can’t tell you – I’ve been sworn to secrecy. Thesaurus: to keep something secretsynonym Main entry: swear … Useful english dictionary
swear someone to silence — swear someone to secrecy/silence/ phrase to make someone promise not to tell anyone else what you have told them I can’t tell you – I’ve been sworn to secrecy. Thesaurus: to keep something secretsynonym Main entry: swear … Useful english dictionary
swear */*/ — UK [sweə(r)] / US [swer] verb Word forms swear : present tense I/you/we/they swear he/she/it swears present participle swearing past tense swore UK [swɔː(r)] / US [swɔr] past participle sworn UK [swɔː(r)n] / US [swɔrn] 1) [intransitive] to use… … English dictionary
swear — verb (swears, swearing; past swore; past participle sworn) 1》 state or promise solemnly or on oath. ↘(swear someone in) admit someone to a position or office by directing them to take a formal oath. ↘compel to observe a certain course of… … English new terms dictionary
swear — [[t]swe͟ə(r)[/t]] swears, swearing, swore, sworn 1) VERB If someone swears, they use language that is considered to be rude or offensive, usually because they are angry. It s wrong to swear and shout... [V at n] They swore at them and ran off. 2) … English dictionary
swear — [c]/swɛə / (say swair) verb (swore or, Archaic, sware, sworn, swearing) –verb (i) 1. to make a solemn declaration with an appeal to God or some superhuman being in confirmation of what is declared; make affirmation in a solemn manner by some… …
swear — swearer, n. swearingly, adv. /swair/, v., swore or (Archaic) sware; sworn; swearing. v.i. 1. to make a solemn declaration or affirmation by some sacred being or object, as a deity or the Bible. 2. to bind oneself by oath. 3. to give evidence or… … Universalium
swear up and down — American & Australian, British & Australian, Australian to say that something is completely true, especially when someone does not believe you. He swore up and down that he d never seen the letter. If I ask her, I know she ll swear blind she… … New idioms dictionary
