swear – English verb conjugation

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to swear
Participle: sworn
Gerund: swearing

Cognates

See the 7 cognates of swear

Indicative

Present

I	swear
you	swear
he;she;it	swears
we	swear
you	swear
they	swear

Perfect

I	have sworn
you	have sworn
he;she;it	has sworn
we	have sworn
you	have sworn
they	have sworn

Past

I	swore
you	swore
he;she;it	swore
we	swore
you	swore
they	swore

Pluperfect

I	had sworn
you	had sworn
he;she;it	had sworn
we	had sworn
you	had sworn
they	had sworn

Future

I	will swear
you	will swear
he;she;it	will swear
we	will swear
you	will swear
they	will swear

Future Perfect

I	will have sworn
you	will have sworn
he;she;it	will have sworn
we	will have sworn
you	will have sworn
they	will have sworn

Subjunctive

Present

I	swear
you	swear
he;she;it	swear
we	swear
you	swear
they	swear

Perfect

I	have sworn
you	have sworn
he;she;it	have sworn
we	have sworn
you	have sworn
they	have sworn

Imperfect

I	swore
you	swore
he;she;it	swore
we	swore
you	swore
they	swore

Pluperfect

I	had sworn
you	had sworn
he;she;it	had sworn
we	had sworn
you	had sworn
they	had sworn

Conditional

Present

I	would swear
you	would swear
he;she;it	would swear
we	would swear
you	would swear
they	would swear

Perfect

I	would have sworn
you	would have sworn
he;she;it	would have sworn
we	would have sworn
you	would have sworn
they	would have sworn

Imperative

you	swear
we	Let's swear
you	swear

Indicative

Present

I	am swearing
you	are swearing
he;she;it	is swearing
we	are swearing
you	are swearing
they	are swearing

Perfect

I	have been swearing
you	have been swearing
he;she;it	has been swearing
we	have been swearing
you	have been swearing
they	have been swearing

Past

I	was swearing
you	were swearing
he;she;it	was swearing
we	were swearing
you	were swearing
they	were swearing

Pluperfect

I	had been swearing
you	had been swearing
he;she;it	had been swearing
we	had been swearing
you	had been swearing
they	had been swearing

Future

I	will be swearing
you	will be swearing
he;she;it	will be swearing
we	will be swearing
you	will be swearing
they	will be swearing

Future Perfect

I	will have been swearing
you	will have been swearing
he;she;it	will have been swearing
we	will have been swearing
you	will have been swearing
they	will have been swearing

Conditional

Present

I	would be swearing
you	would be swearing
he;she;it	would be swearing
we	would be swearing
you	would be swearing
they	would be swearing

Perfect

I	would have been swearing
you	would have been swearing
he;she;it	would have been swearing
we	would have been swearing
you	would have been swearing
they	would have been swearing

Verbs conjugated like 'swear'

forswear, outwear, swear, tear, wear,

Verbs similar to 'swear'

sear, shear, skear, smear, spear, stear, sweal, sweat, wear, abear,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

to swear; to use offensive language: bad mouth, blaspheme, curse, cuss, execrate, imprecate, swear like a trooper, vilify
vow: avow, promise, warrant, declare, state, testify, depose, affirm
curse: blaspheme, cuss, damn, imprecate

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

~ by something, ~ in somebody, ~ somebody in, ~ off something,

Etymology

1. O.E. swerian "take an oath" (class VI strong verb; past tense swor, pp. sworen), from P.Gmc. *swarjanan, from root *swar- (cf. O.S. swerian, O.N. sverja, Dan. sverge, O.Fris. swera, M.Du. swaren, O.H.G. swerien, Ger. schwören, Goth. swaren "to swear"), from PIE base *swer- "to speak, say" (cf. O.C.S. svara "quarrel"). Also related to the second element in answer. The secondary sense of "use bad language" (c.1430) developed from the notion of "invoke sacred names." Swear-word is Amer.Eng. colloquial from 1883. Swear off "desist as with a vow" is from 1898.
2. From Middle English sweren, swerien, from Old English swerian (“to swear, take an oath of office”), from Proto-West Germanic *swarjan, from Proto-Germanic *swarjaną (“to speak, swear”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to swear”).
3. Cognate with West Frisian swarre (“to swear”), Saterland Frisian swera (“to swear”), Dutch zweren (“to swear, vow”), Low German swören (“to swear”), sweren, German schwören (“to swear”), Danish sværge, Swedish svära (“to swear”), Icelandic sverja (“to swear”), Russian свара (svara, “quarrel”). Also cognate to Albanian var (“to hang, consider, to depend from”) through Proto-Indo-European.
4. The original sense in all Germanic languages is “to take an oath”. The sense “to use bad language” developed in Middle English and is based on the Christian prohibition against swearing in general (cf. Matthew 5:33-37) and invoking God’s name in particular (i.e. frequent swearing was considered similar to the use of obscene words). See: Middle English 'sweren', Old English 'swerian', Proto-Germanic '*swarjaną', Dutch 'zweren', Low Saxon 'swören', German, old spelling 'schwören', Danish 'sværge', Swedish 'svära', Icelandic 'sverja'.

Verbs referencing "swear"

German, old spelling schwören, Sranan sweri, Ukrainian сварити, Luxembourgish schwieren, Alemannic German schwere, Danish sværge, Sanskrit स्वरति.

Sample Sentences

“ Well, I 've got just as much conscience as any man in business can afford to keep,—just a little, you know, to swear by, as ’ t were, ” said the trader, jocularly; “ and, then, I 'm ready to do anything in reason to ’ blige friends; but this yer, you see, is a leetle too hard on a fellow—a leetle too hard. ” The [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] hitting her exactly between the eyes whenever she attempts to advance an inch. Imagine the ship herself, with every pulse and artery of her huge body swollen and bursting under this maltreatment, sworn to go on or die. Imagine the wind howling, the sea roaring, the rain beating: all in furious array against her. Picture the sky both dark and wild, and the clouds, in fearful sympathy with the [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
Haley ran up and down, and cursed and swore and stamped miscellaneously. Mr. Shelby in vain tried to shout directions from the balcony, and Mrs. Shelby from her chamber window alternately laughed and wondered,—not without some inkling of what [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] to a standstill by any such gentle means, and then taken into custody for not moving on. But there was no confusion or disorder. Our carriage reached the porch in its turn, without any blustering, swearing, shouting, backing, or other disturbance: and we dismounted with as much ease and comfort as though we had been escorted by the whole Metropolitan Force from A to Z inclusive. (American Notes for General Circulation)
[...] seen Death many times,—met him in the way of trade, and got acquainted with him,—and he only thought of him as a hard customer, that embarrassed his property operations very unfairly; and so he only swore that the gal was a baggage, and that he was devilish unlucky, and that, if things went on in this way, he should not make a cent on the trip. In short, he seemed to consider himself an ill-used man, [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] when the wind was adverse. Indeed, the mercury itself is not so variable as this class of passengers, whom you will see, when the ship is going nobly through the water, quite pale with admiration, swearing that the captain beats all captains ever known, and even hinting at subscriptions for a piece of plate; and who, next morning, when the breeze has lulled, and all the sails hang useless in the idle [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
The men, led by the groans of Tom, scrambled and crackled through stumps, logs and bushes, to where that hero lay groaning and swearing with alternate vehemence. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] Why, the fact is, this concern belonged to a couple of drunken creatures that keep a low restaurant that I have to pass by every day, and I was tired of hearing her screaming, and them beating and swearing at her. She looked bright and funny, too, as if something might be made of her; — so I bought her, and I'll give her to you. Try, now, and give her a good orthodox New England bringing up, and see [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
Adolph, enraged at this taunt, flew furiously at his adversary, swearing and striking on every side of him. The rest laughed and shouted, and the uproar brought the keeper to the door. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
[...] I saw a crowd about the gate, and heard a child's voice,—and suddenly my Henry broke away from two or three men who were holding him, and ran, screaming, and caught my dress. They came up to him, swearing dreadfully; and one man, whose face I shall never forget, told him that he wouldn't get away so; that he was going with him into the calaboose, and he'd get a lesson there he'd never forget. I tried [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
I just want to... no, I won't be any trouble. I swear. (Grafted)
Yeah. Yeah, but I didn't know about no dead body. I, I didn't kill anybody, I swear. (Once Upon a Time in Hollyweird)
When you sing that thing backstage, it moved me. I swear to God, it moved me. (Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties)

swear – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of swear

Nominal Forms

Cognates

Indicative

Present

Perfect

Past

Pluperfect

Future

Future Perfect

Subjunctive

Present

Perfect

Imperfect

Pluperfect

Conditional

Present

Perfect

Imperative

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Perfect

Past

Pluperfect

Future

Future Perfect

Conditional

Present

Perfect

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'swear'

Verbs similar to 'swear'

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

Verbs referencing "swear"

Sample Sentences