Definition of "swear"

swear¹

/swɛə/

verb
third-person singular simple present swears, present participle swearing, simple past swore or (archaic) sware, past participle sworn or (nonstandard) swore
1. (transitive, intransitive) To take an oath, to promise intensely, solemnly, and/or with legally binding effect.
2. (transitive) To take an oath that an assertion is true.
3. (transitive) To promise intensely that something is true; to strongly assert.
  Quotations
  The Bat—they called him the Bat. […]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.
  1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, chapter I, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, page 01
4. (transitive) To administer an oath to (a person).
5. (transitive, intransitive) To use offensive, profane, or obscene language.
  Quotations
  An Australian was once appointed on contract, but he swore too much.
  1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 38

swear²

/swɛə/

noun
plural swears
1. A swear word.
  Quotations
  You might think it funny to hear this Kanaka girl come out with a big swear. No such thing. There was no swearing in her — no, nor anger; she was beyond anger, and meant the word simple and serious.
  1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Beach of Falesá
  [A]ccording to his kind the man would smile cynically, or look sad, or let out a swear or two.
  1900, Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim, page v. 27

swear³

/swɛə/

adjective
comparative swearer or more swear, superlative swearest or most swear
1. (Northern England, Scotland) Heavy.
2. (Northern England, Scotland) Top-heavy; too high.
3. (Northern England, Scotland) Dull; lazy; slow.
  Quotations
  Rise up gueedewife, an dinna be sweer, / B'soothan, b'soothan, / An deal yir chirity t' the peer, / An awa b'mony a toon.
  1881, Walter Gregor, chapter XXII, in Notes on the Folk-lore of the North-east of Scotland, London: Folk-Lore Society, page 161
4. (Northern England, Scotland) Reluctant; unwilling.
  Quotations
  But faith, to glump ye I'd be sweer / I wish ye luck o' this new year
  1805, John Stagg, “A New Year's Epistle”, in Miscellaneous Poems, Workington: W. Borrowdale, page 139
  My father will maybe be a wee sweer to take ye in, but ye maun make your way on him the best gate ye can; he has the best stockit pantry on Teviot head, but a bit of a Laidlaw's fault, complaining aye maist when he has least reason.
  1822, James Hogg, The Three Perils of Man
5. (Northern England, Scotland) Niggardly.
  Quotations
  For if my Pen shall turn as Sweir's their Purse / I fear this is the last I'll write in Verse
  1714, Robert Smith, Poems of Controversy Betwixt Episcopacy and Presbytery, 2nd edition, Edinburgh: R. Syme & Son, published 1853, page 61
noun
plural swears
1. (Northern England, Scotland) A lazy time; a short rest during working hours (especially field labour); a siesta.
verb
third-person singular simple present swears, present participle swearing, simple past and past participle sweared
1. (Northern England, Scotland) To be lazy; rest for a short while during working hours.

Definition of "swear"

swear1

verb

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swear2

noun

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swear3

adjective

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noun

verb

swear¹

swear²

swear³