swear the peace

verb

To swear legally (against someone) that one is in fear of physical violence from a person, in order that they be put under bond to keep the peace.

First used 17th c.
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Meanings

verbswear the peace (third-person singular simple present swears the peace, present participle swearing the peace, simple past swore the peace, past participle sworn the peace)

present singular third person swears the peace · participle present swearing the peace · past swore the peace · participle past sworn the peace · alternative pray the peace

  1. historicalTo swear legally (against someone) that one is in fear of physical violence from a person, in order that they be put under bond to keep the peace.First known use 17th c.

    He […] told me he deſpiſed my threats; I had no reſource; I could not ſwear the peace againſt him!—I was not afraid of my life!—he had never ſtruck me!

    1798, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, “[Maria: or, The] Wrongs of Woman”, in W[illiam] Godwin, editor, Posthumous Works of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. […], volume II, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […]; and G[eorge,] G[eorge] and J[ohn] Robinson, […], →OCLC, chapter XI, page 57
Cite this entry
APA

swear the peace. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swear%20the%20peace

MLA

“swear the peace.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swear%20the%20peace. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “swear the peace,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swear%20the%20peace.

Source: swear the peace on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.