swear Idiom, Proverb

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swear by

use as the support or authority that what one is saying is truthful The accused criminal was asked to swear on a bible at the trial.

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swear in

have a person promise to do his duty as a member of an organization or government dept. etc. The new Prime Minister was sworn in last night at the parliament.

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swear off

decide to give up something that you are in the habit of using My friend swore off alcohol several years ago.

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swear at

curse咒骂
Mind your language！Don't swear at him．说话要小心，不要恶语伤人。
He resented being sworn at．他憎恨别人骂他。

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swear to

assert with great conviction 断言；发誓肯定
I can't swear to it，but I don't think he would lie to me．我不敢断言，但我认为他不会对我撒谎的。
I was sure I locked the door when I left the room，but I can't really swear to it．我离开房间时肯定是锁了门的，但我不能把话说死。

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Swear like a sailor

Someone who is foul-mouthed and uses bad language all the time, swears like a sailor.

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Swear like a trooper

Someone who is foul-mouthed and uses bad language all the time, swears like a trooper.

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swear by|swear

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.

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swear in|swear|swear into

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.

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swear off|swear

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.

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swear out|swear

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.

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sworn enemies|enemies|swear|sworn

n. phr. People or groups or nations that have a long-standing dislike for each other. The Israelis and the Arabs used to be sworn enemies but hopefully they will sign a lasting peace accord.

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forswear

forswear
forswear oneself
to swear falsely; perjure oneself

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swear

swear
1.
swear by
1) to name (something held sacred) in taking an oath
2) to have great faith or confidence in
2.
swear for
to give assurance for; guarantee
3.
swear in
to administer an oath to (a person taking office, a witness, etc.)
4.
swear off
to promise to give up, leave off, or renounce
5.
swear out
☆
to obtain (a warrant for someone's arrest) by making a charge under oath

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swear on a stack of Bibles

swear on a stack of Bibles
Promise solemnly that what one is about to say is true, as in I swear on a stack of Bibles that I had nothing to do with his dropping out. This term alludes to the practice of placing one's hand on a sacred object while taking an oath, which dates from the mid-10th century. It is still followed in courts of law where a witness being sworn to tell the truth places a hand on the Bible. [Mid-1800s]

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swear out

swear out
Obtain a warrant for arrest by making a charge under oath, as in The school principal swore out a warrant for the arrest of the vandals. [Late 1800s]