break one's promise

verb

To fail to keep or maintain an assurance, bond or commitment one has made.

Similar
go back on one's wordbreak one's wordrenege on one's promise
Opposite
keep one's promisestay true to one's wordbe as good as one's worddeliver the goods
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Meanings

verbbreak one's promise (third-person singular simple present breaks one's promise, present participle breaking one's promise, simple past broke one's promise, past participle broken one's promise)

present singular third person breaks one's promise · participle present breaking one's promise · past broke one's promise · participle past broken one's promise

  1. idiomaticTo fail to keep or maintain an assurance, bond or commitment one has made.

    (Are you gonna break your promise, baby?) / You said that you love me / (Are you gonna break your promise to me?) / Now you're actin' so strange, baby / (Are you gonna break your promise, baby?) / You said that you need me / (Are you gonna break your promise to me?)

    1968, The Delfonics, “Break Your Promise”, in La La Means I Love You

    Synonyms: go back on one's word, break one's word, renege on one's promise · Antonyms: keep one's promise, stay true to one's word, be as good as one's word, deliver the goods

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo fail to keep or maintain an assurance, bond or commitment one has made.

Similar
go back on one's wordbreak one's wordrenege on one's promise
Opposite
keep one's promisestay true to one's wordbe as good as one's worddeliver the goods
Also see
break one's wordgo back on one's word

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 食言
  • 食言 (shíyán)to break one's word
Finnish rikkoa lupauksensa
  • rikkoa lupauksensato break one's word
French ne pas tenir sa promesse
  • ne pas tenir sa promesseto break one's word
German sein Versprechen brechen / nicht halten
  • sein Versprechen brechen / nicht haltento break one's word
Polish łamać obietnicę, złamać obietnicę
  • łamać obietnicęto break one's word
  • złamać obietnicęto break one's word
Romanian încălca o promisiune
  • încălca o promisiuneto break one's word
Russian нару́шить обеща́ние
  • нару́шить обеща́ние (narúšitʹ obeščánije)to break one's word
Turkish sözünü bozmak, sözünden dönmek
  • sözünü bozmakto break one's word
  • sözünden dönmekto break one's word
  • sözünü tutmamakto break one's word
Cite this entry
APA

break one's promise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20one's%20promise

MLA

“break one's promise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20one's%20promise. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “break one's promise,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20one's%20promise.

Source: break one's promise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.