Swear (as a verb) means to make a solemn declaration or promise, or to use profane or offensive language. It can also refer to taking an oath in a formal or legal sense. In everyday speech, it commonly appears in phrases like “swear to tell the truth” or “swear word.” The term carries formal and informal senses depending on context and intent.
"- He swore an oath to uphold the constitution."
"- Don’t swear at the referee; speak respectfully."
"- I swear I left my keys on the kitchen counter."
"- They swore to keep the secret until the investigation finished."
Swear comes from Old English swarian, which originally meant to take an oath or to utter a solemn assertion. The root sw- is related to related Germanic forms that denote binding speech and fidelity, evolving through Middle English to include the sense of invoking deities or oaths. The word’s semantic shift to include the expression of strong emotion or profanity developed over centuries, with “swear” evolving to capture both formal declarations and casual cursing. The term appears in legal and religious contexts in early records, often tied to oaths sworn before witnesses or authorities. By the 16th–17th centuries, the broader sense of uttering strong language also emerged in literature, paralleling the intensification of everyday speech. In modern times, “swear” retains dual usage: formal oaths and informal expletives, sometimes distinguished by context, tone, and audience. First known uses appear in medieval English documents, with evolving spellings reflecting pronunciation shifts. The word’s resilience lies in its capacity to apply to binding statements and emphatic language alike, making it a versatile actor in English rhetoric and social interaction.
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Words that rhyme with "Swear"
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pronunciation: US /swɛr/; UK /swɛː/; AU /swɛː/. Primary stress on the single syllable SWER. Start with /s/; follow with /w/—a bilabial-velar onglide. The vowel is a short, open-mid front lax /ɛ/ in US and AU, lengthened in some UK realizations to /ɛː/. The /r/ in rhotic accents may be lightly rhotic or non-rhotic; in careful US speech, you’ll hear a released /ɹ/. Keep the tongue relaxed, lips rounded slightly for /w/, and avoid adding extra vowel length in rapid speech.
Common errors include misplacing the /w/ after /s/, producing a /sw/ cluster that’s too airy, and turning /ɛ/ into a lax schwa. Another pitfall is over-articulating the final /r/ in non-rhotic accents. Correction: keep /s/ immediately followed by a tight, brief /w/ onglide, use a crisp /ɛ/ for the vowel, and either lightly touch the /r/ (US) or omit it (UK/AU non-rhotic) depending on dialect.
In US English, /swɛɚ/ often realizes a rhotic /ɹ/ with a quick vowel transition, possibly sounding like /ˈswɛɹ/ depending on speaker. UK and AU speakers may reduce to /ˈswΕː/ or /ˈswæː/ in casual speech, with a longer vowel. Australian speech generally trends toward a non-rhotic variant in everyday usage, so the final /r/ is often silent, giving /swɛː/ or /swɛ:/, with the /w/ blending. Rhoticity and vowel length shift are the main differentiators.
The difficulty comes from the rapid, smooth onglide from /s/ to /w/, plus the short, tense /ɛ/ vowel that can drift toward /e/ or /ɪ/ in different dialects. Additionally, the final /r/ in rhotic accents creates a coda that can blur in fast speech, while non-rhotic accents must omit it. Mastery requires precise lip rounding for /w/ and controlled vowel length dedicated to your target accent.
The word combines a consonant cluster onset (/sw/) with a short front vowel and a perceptual r-cola in rhotic dialects. The challenge is achieving a single, compact syllable with minimal vowel length while keeping the /w/ as a true onglide rather than a consonant release. Focus on the seamless /sw/ transition, a crisp /ɛ/ vowel, and appropriate rhoticity per your target accent.
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