Meanings
nounvow (plural vows)
plural vows
- A solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner, especially a promise to live and act in accordance with the rules of a religious order.
The old hermit, up in the mountains, took a vow of silence.
1 more example
And Moses spake vnto the heads of the tribes, concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded. If a man vowe a vow vnto the Lord, or sweare an othe to bind his soule with a bond: he shall not breake his word, hee shall doe according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 30:1–2 - A declaration or assertion.
Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself.
2013 June 14, Sam Leith, “Where the profound meets the profane”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 37
verbvow (third-person singular simple present vows, present participle vowing, simple past and past participle vowed)
present singular third person vows · participle present vowing · participle past vowed · past vowed
- ambitransitiveTo make a vow; to promise.
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ecclesiastes 5:41 more example
We do not vow that we will never sin, nor neglect a duty (nor ought we to do so).
1673, Richard Baxter, Christian Directory - transitiveTo make a vow regarding (something).
The wronged woman vowed revenge.
- To declare publicly that one has made a vow, usually to show one's determination or to announce an act of retaliation.
The rebels vowed to continue their fight.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinvōtum“a promise, dedication, vow”
- Old Frenchvut
- Middle Englishvowe
- Englishvow
Inherited from Middle English vowe, voue, that from Old French vut, in turn from Latin vōtum (“a promise, dedication, vow”), from vovēre (“to promise, vow”). Not related to avow. Doublet of vote.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὅρκος, ὄμνυμι
- ὅρκος (hórkos)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- ὄμνυμι (ómnumi)to make a vow
Arabic نَذْر, نَذَرَ
- نَذْر (naḏr)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- نَذَرَ (naḏara)to make a vow
Bulgarian кле́тва, обе́т
- кле́тва (klétva)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- обе́т (obét)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- кълна́ се (kălná se)to make a vow
- закле́вам се (zaklévam se)to make a vow
- закълна́ се (zakălná se)to make a vow
Catalan vot, jurar
- vota solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- jurarto make a vow
- prometre solemnementto make a vow
Chinese Mandarin 誓言, 誓約 /誓约
- 誓言 (shìyán)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- 誓約 /誓约 (shìyuē)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- 保證 /保证 (bǎozhèng)a declaration or assertion
- 發誓 /发誓 (fāshì)to make a vow
- 宣誓 (xuānshì)to declare publicly that one made a vow
Czech slib, přísaha
- sliba solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- přísahaa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- přísahatto make a vow
Danish løfte, love
- løftea solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- loveto make a vow
- sværgeto make a vow
Dutch gelofte, eed
- geloftea solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- eeda declaration or assertion
- gelofte afleggento make a vow
- zwerento make a vow
Esperanto voto, ĵuro
- votoa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- ĵuroa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- ĵurito make a vow
Estonian lubadus, lubama
- lubadusa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- lubamato make a vow
Finnish vala, lupaus
- valaa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- lupausa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- lupausa declaration or assertion
- vakuutusa declaration or assertion
- vannoa valato make a vow
- vannoato make a vow
- luvatato make a vow
- vakuuttaato make a vow
- vannoato declare publicly that one made a vow
French voeu, vœu
- voeua solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- vœua solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- jurerto make a vow
German Gelübde, Schwur
- Gelübdea solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- Schwura solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- Eida solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- Gelöbnisa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- Eida declaration or assertion
- schwörento make a vow
- gelobento make a vow
- sich dazu erklärt habento declare publicly that one made a vow
Greek όρκος, διαβεβαίωση
- όρκος (órkos)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- διαβεβαίωση (diavevaíosi)a declaration or assertion
Hebrew נֶדֶר
- נֶדֶר (néder)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
Hindi वचन, प्रण
- वचन (vacan)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- प्रण (praṇ)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- व्रत (vrat)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- प्रतिज्ञा (pratijñā)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- मन्नत (mannat)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- संकल्प (saṅkalp)a declaration or assertion
- वचन (vacan)to make a vow
- प्रण (praṇ)to make a vow
- प्रतिज्ञा (pratijñā)to make a vow
Hungarian fogadalom, megfogad
- fogadaloma solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- megfogadto make a vow
- megesküszikto make a vow
- fogadto make a vow
- esküszikto make a vow
- megfogadto declare publicly that one made a vow
Icelandic strengja heit, strengja heit
- strengja heitto make a vow
- strengja heitto declare publicly that one made a vow
Italian voto, voto
- votoa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- votoa declaration or assertion
- giurareto make a vow
- votareto make a vow
Japanese 誓い, 誓約
- 誓い (chikai)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- 誓約 (seiyaku)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- 誓う (chikau)to make a vow
- 契る (chigiru)to make a vow
Korean 맹세, 서약
- 맹세 (maengse)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- 서약 (seoyak)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- 맹세하다 (maengsehada)to make a vow
Latin vōtum, vōveō
- vōtuma solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- vōveōto make a vow
- iurōto make a vow
Latvian apsolījums, apsolīt
- apsolījumsa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- apsolītto make a vow
Lithuanian įžadas, pažadėti
- įžadasa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- pažadėtito make a vow
Norwegian Bokmål løfte, love
- løftea solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- loveto make a vow
- svergeto make a vow
Polish ślub, przysięga
- śluba solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- przysięgaa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
Portuguese bodo, voto
- bodoa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- votoa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
Romanian jurământ
- jurământa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
Russian кля́тва, прися́га
- кля́тва (kljátva)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- прися́га (prisjága)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- обе́т (obét)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- заро́к (zarók)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- обяза́тельство (objazátelʹstvo)a declaration or assertion
- завере́ние (zaverénije)a declaration or assertion
- кля́сться (kljástʹsja)to make a vow
- покля́сться (pokljástʹsja)to make a vow
- присяга́ть (prisjagátʹ)to make a vow
- присягну́ть (prisjagnútʹ)to make a vow
- дава́ть обе́т (davátʹ obét)to make a vow
- обеща́ть (obeščátʹ)to make a vow
- пообеща́ть (poobeščátʹ)to make a vow
- кля́сться (kljástʹsja)to declare publicly that one made a vow
- покля́сться (pokljástʹsja)to declare publicly that one made a vow
- обеща́ть (obeščátʹ)to declare publicly that one made a vow
- пообеща́ть (poobeščátʹ)to declare publicly that one made a vow
Slovak prísaha, sľub
- prísahaa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- sľuba solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- prisahaťto make a vow
Spanish voto, manda
- votoa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- mandaa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- promesaa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- devodarto make a vow
Swahili nadhiri
- nadhiria solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
Swedish löfte, svära
- löftea solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- svärato make a vow
- lovato make a vow
Turkish yemin, ant içmek
- yemina solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- ant içmekto make a vow
- yemin etmekto make a vow
Ukrainian кля́тва, клятьба́
- кля́тва (kljátva)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- клятьба́ (kljatʹbá)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- прися́га (prysjáha)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- обі́т (obít)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- обі́тниця (obítnycja)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- кля́стися (kljástysja)to make a vow
- клясти́ся (kljastýsja)to make a vow
Urdu نَذْر
- نَذْر (nazr)a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
Vietnamese lời thề, lời nguyền
- lời thềa solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- lời nguyềna solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner
- phát nguyệnto make a vow
- tuyên thệto declare publicly that one made a vow
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with vow
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
vow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vow
MLA
“vow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vow. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vow,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vow.
Source: vow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.