You should swear on the Bible.
Source: tatoeba (15951)
Swear
/swɛə(ɹ)/
Synonyms for "swear" (167 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (34)
Strong matches (50)
Related words (83)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: blaspheme, curse, cuss, imprecate, abjure.
- Sentence evidence is available for swear, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "swear".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "swear"
Keep "swear" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "swear" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "swear", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "swear" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
15 entriesMore specific
9 entriesCollocations
10 entriescurse wordformal oathfour-letter wordprofane languagesolemn vowswear jarswear wordswearing insworn affidavitsworn statement
Inflections
4 entriesDerivations
4 entriessimilar
1 entriesTranslations
117 translations across 76 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ὄμνυμι verb (to take an oath)
Arabic
3 entries- أَقْسَمَ verb (to take an oath)
- حلف verb (to take an oath)
- حَلَفَ verb (to take an oath)
Armenian
2 entries- երդվել verb (to take an oath)
- երդվեցնել verb (to take an oath)
Aromanian
1 entries- giur verb (to take an oath)
Asturian
1 entries- xurar verb (to take an oath)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- and içmək verb (to take an oath)
Belarusian
4 entries- кля́сціся verb (to take an oath)
- пакля́сціся verb (to take an oath)
- прысяга́ць verb (to take an oath)
- прысягну́ць verb (to take an oath)
Bengali
1 entries- কসম করা verb (to take an oath)
Bulgarian
2 entries- закле́вам се verb (to take an oath)
- кълна́ се verb (to take an oath)
Burmese
1 entries- ကျိန် verb (to take an oath)
Catalan
1 entries- jurar verb (to take an oath)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- سوێند خواردن verb (to take an oath)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 發誓 /发誓 verb (to take an oath)
- 賭咒 /赌咒 verb (to take an oath)
Czech
1 entries- přísahat verb (to take an oath)
Danish
1 entries- sværge verb (to take an oath)
Dutch
2 entries- een eed afleggen verb (to take an oath)
- zweren verb (to take an oath)
Esperanto
1 entries- ĵuri verb (to take an oath)
Faroese
1 entries- svørja verb (to take an oath)
Finnish
1 entries- vannoa verb (to take an oath)
French
1 entries- jurer verb (to take an oath)
Friulian
2 entries- zurâ verb (to take an oath)
- ğurâ verb (to take an oath)
Galician
1 entries- xurar verb (to take an oath)
Georgian
2 entries- დაფიცება verb (to take an oath)
- ფიცი verb (to take an oath)
German
1 entries- schwören verb (to take an oath)
Greek
1 entries- ορκίζομαι verb (to take an oath)
Hebrew
1 entries- נשבע verb (to take an oath)
Hungarian
1 entries- esküszik verb (to take an oath)
Icelandic
1 entries- sverja verb (to take an oath)
Ido
1 entries- jurar verb (to take an oath)
Italian
1 entries- giurare verb (to take an oath)
Japanese
2 entries- 契る verb (to take an oath)
- 誓う verb (to take an oath)
Kabuverdianu
1 entries- jura verb (to take an oath)
Khmer
3 entries- សច្ចា verb (to take an oath)
- សាបាន verb (to take an oath)
- ស្បថ verb (to take an oath)
Korean
1 entries- 맹세하다 verb (to take an oath)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- каргануу verb (to take an oath)
Lao
1 entries- ສະບານ verb (to take an oath)
Latin
1 entries- iūrō verb (to take an oath)
Low German
1 entries- swören verb (to take an oath)
Macedonian
1 entries- се колне verb (to take an oath)
Maguindanao
1 entries- sapa verb (to take an oath)
Malayalam
2 entries- ആണയിടുക verb (to take an oath)
- സത്യം ചെയ്യുക verb (to take an oath)
Maltese
1 entries- naħlef verb (to take an oath)
Maranao
1 entries- sapa' verb (to take an oath)
Mauritian Creole
1 entries- zoure verb (to take an oath)
Megleno-Romanian
1 entries- jur verb (to take an oath)
Mongolian
2 entries- амлах verb (to take an oath)
- ᠠᠮᠠᠯᠠᠬᠤ verb (to take an oath)
Ngazidja Comorian
1 entries- ulapva verb (to take an oath)
Norman
1 entries- juther verb (to take an oath)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- sverge verb (to take an oath)
Norwegian Nynorsk
2 entries- sverja verb (to take an oath)
- sverje verb (to take an oath)
Occitan
1 entries- jurar verb (to take an oath)
Old Norse
1 entries- sverja verb (to take an oath)
Persian
2 entries- سوگند خوردن verb (to take an oath)
- قسم خوردن verb (to take an oath)
Polish
4 entries- kląć się verb (to take an oath)
- przyrzec verb (to take an oath)
- przyrzekać verb (to take an oath)
- przysiąc verb (to take an oath)
Portuguese
1 entries- jurar verb (to take an oath)
Romanian
1 entries- jura verb (to take an oath)
Russian
4 entries- кля́сться verb (to take an oath)
- покля́сться verb (to take an oath)
- присяга́ть verb (to take an oath)
- присягну́ть verb (to take an oath)
Sardinian
3 entries- giurare verb (to take an oath)
- giurài verb (to take an oath)
- zurare verb (to take an oath)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- kleti se verb (to take an oath)
- клети се verb (to take an oath)
Sicilian
2 entries- giurari verb (to take an oath)
- jurari verb (to take an oath)
Slovak
1 entries- prisahať verb (to take an oath)
Slovene
2 entries- prisegati verb (to take an oath)
- priseči verb (to take an oath)
Southern Altai
1 entries- карганар verb (to take an oath)
Spanish
2 entries- devodar (desus.) verb (to take an oath)
- jurar verb (to take an oath)
Swahili
1 entries- -apa verb (to take an oath)
Swedish
2 entries- svära verb (to take an oath)
- svärja verb (to take an oath)
Tajik
2 entries- савганд ёд кардан verb (to take an oath)
- қасам хурдан verb (to take an oath)
Telugu
2 entries- ఒట్టు పెట్టు verb (to take an oath)
- ప్రమాణం చేయు verb (to take an oath)
Thai
1 entries- สาบาน verb (to take an oath)
Turkish
2 entries- ant içmek verb (to take an oath)
- yemin etmek verb (to take an oath)
Ukrainian
4 entries- кля́стися verb (to take an oath)
- клясти́ся verb (to take an oath)
- покля́стися verb (to take an oath)
- поклясти́ся verb (to take an oath)
Uzbek
1 entries- qasamyod qilmoq verb (to take an oath)
Venetan
1 entries- giurar verb (to take an oath)
Vietnamese
1 entries- thề verb (to take an oath)
Walloon
1 entries- djurer verb (to take an oath)
Welsh
1 entries- tyngu verb (to take an oath)
Sample sentences
23 total sentences available.
They won't believe me even if I swear it is true.
Source: tatoeba (43107)
I swear, John. As of today, I quit smoking.
Source: tatoeba (52840)
Don't swear in public.
Source: tatoeba (240479)
Showing 4 of 23 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "swear"?
Closest matches include blaspheme, curse, cuss, imprecate, abjure.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "swear"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.