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VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
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swear

verb US /swer/

utter obscenities or profanities

How often you will meet it

Rank 1,864 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 9,669 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.005% of every word in the library.

What it means

verb

  1. utter obscenities or profanities also: curse, cuss, blaspheme, imprecate The drunken men were cursing loudly in the street
  2. to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true also: affirm, verify, assert, avow, aver, swan Before God I swear I am innocent
  3. promise solemnly; take an oath
  4. make a deposition; declare under oath also: depose, depone
  5. have faith or confidence in also: count, bet, depend, rely, bank, look you can count on me to help you any timeLook to your friends for support

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

swear in real books

Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.

  • From time to time Gevrol stopped to swear or grumble.

    The Lerouge Case · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1

  • I dare swear I got no more than my deserts.

    The Hill: A Romance of Friendship · Horace Annesley Vachell · Chapter 1

  • I swear I sha’n’t say a word about it, either to Desormeaux or Chapelain, nor to any one else.

    Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1

  • But here we rest at perfect ease, For should they swear the moon was cheese, We never should dispute them.

    The Olden Time Series, Vol. 6 · Henry M. (Henry Mason) Brooks · Chapter 1

  • It surely was good to see him again; this man who knew how to make them all swear by him.

    The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1

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