swear (redirected from sworn)

swear (up)on someone or something

to take an oath on someone or something. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) He swore upon the Bible to tell the truth. I swear on the memory of my sainted mother that I am telling the truth.

swear someone in (as something)

to administer an oath to someone who then officially begins in office. The judge swore Alice in as street commissioner. The judge swore in Alice as the new director.

swear someone to something

to cause someone to take an oath pledging something, such as silence or secrecy, about something. I swore Larry to secrecy, but he told anyway. We were sworn to silence about the new product.

swear something out against someone

to file a criminal complaint against someone. Walter swore a warrant out against Jeff. He swore out a warrant against Tony.

See also: against, out

swear something to someone

to pledge or promise something to someone. I had to swear my allegiance to the general before I could become one of his bodyguards. We swore our loyalty to our country.

swear at someone or something

to curse someone or something. Please don't swear at the children. Scott swore at the police station as he drove by.

swear by someone or something 

1. Lit. to utter an oath on someone or something. I swear by Jupiter that I will be there on time. She swore by her sainted mother that she would never do it again. The sheriff swore by his badge that he would lock her up if she ever did it again.

2. Fig. to announce one's full faith and trust in someone or something. I would swear by Roger any time. He is a great guy, and he tells the truth. I swear by this computer. It has always served me well.

swear like a trooper

to curse and swear with great facility. (The trooper here refers to a soldier.) Mrs. Wilson was known to swear like a trooper on occasion. The clerk started swearing like a trooper, and the customer started crying.

See also: like

swear off (something)

to pledge to avoid or abstain from something. I've sworn off desserts. I am on a diet. No dessert for me. I've sworn off.

swear on a stack of Bibles and swear on one's mother's grave

to state something very earnestly, pledging to tell the truth. (~ a Stack of Bibles refers in an exaggerated way to swearing to tell the truth in court by placing one's hand on a Bible.) I swear on a stack of Bibles that I am telling the truth. Of course, I'm telling the truth. I swear on my mother's grave!

See also: Bible, stack

swear to something

to claim that what one says is absolutely true. It is true. I swear to it. I think I have remembered it all, but I couldn't swear to it.

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swear blind  (british & Australian) also swear up and down/black and blue (American & 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 locked the door. He swore black and blue he had nothing to do with the missing money.

See also: blind

swear like a trooper

to swear a lot

Usage notes: A trooper is a soldier with a low rank.

He came in drunk and swearing like a trooper.

See also: like

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swear somebody in also swear in somebody

to get a formal promise from someone to be honest A ceremony to swear in the new governor took place Wednesday. The witness took the stand after the court clerk swore her in.

swear by something

to strongly believe in something Though there's no scientific evidence for this method of finding water, some farmers swear by it. Some teachers swear by stickers as a teaching tool and use them to teach kids everything.

swear off something

to decide to stop doing or using something He says he has sworn off candy. She won $10,000 on the slots and was so shocked, she swore off gambling completely.

swear up and down

to say as strongly as possible He swore up and down that he didn't know the guy at all.

Etymology: based on the meaning of swear on the Bible or sometimes swear on a stack of Bibles (to promise that a statement is true)

See also: and, up