vow
make a serious, firm promise
To say very strongly that you will do something and really mean it.
to vow to [do something]
- After the scandal, she vowed to be more careful about what she posted online.
- He vowed never to drink and drive again after the accident.
- The new president vowed to fight corruption in government.
- They vowed that they would stay friends no matter what happened.
- The company has vowed to reduce its carbon emissions by 50 percent.
- I vowed to call my parents every week.
- She vowed that she would learn English well.
- They vowed never to lie to each other again.
- The mayor vowed to make the city safer.
- He vowed to stop smoking this year.
serious, often formal promise
A strong and serious promise, often for an important or religious reason.
to make/take a vow to [do something]
- During the ceremony, they exchanged marriage vows in front of their families.
- He took a vow of silence for one month to focus on meditation.
- The monk made a vow of poverty when he joined the order.
- She broke her vow and returned to social media after just one week.
- Many people make New Year’s vows to change their habits.
- They said their marriage vows in the church.
- He made a vow to help his community.
- She took a vow of silence for three days.
- He broke his vow and started smoking again.
- The priest explained the meaning of their vows.
- Base: vow
- Plural: vows
- Base: vow
- 3rd Person Singular: vows
- Present Participle: vowing
- Past: vowed
break a vow
1fail to keep a serious promise
To not do what you said in a serious promise you would do.
- He broke his vow and started drinking again.
- She felt guilty after breaking her vow of silence.
- They accused the politician of breaking his vow to lower taxes.
marriage vows
1formal promises at a wedding
The special, formal promises that two people say to each other in a wedding ceremony.
- They wrote their own marriage vows to make the ceremony more personal.
- The couple repeated the traditional marriage vows after the officiant.
- She started to cry while saying her marriage vows.
take a vow
1formally make a serious promise
To make a strong and serious promise, often in a religious or very important situation.
- He decided to take a vow to stop gambling.
- Many monks take a vow of poverty when they join the monastery.
- She took a vow never to speak to him again.
vow of silence
1serious promise not to speak
A strong and serious promise not to speak for some time, often for religious, personal, or protest reasons.
- The monks observed a vow of silence during their retreat.
- As a protest, the students announced a vow of silence for the entire day.
- He jokingly took a vow of silence after his bad joke was not appreciated.
renew your vows
1repeat marriage promises again
For a married couple to say their marriage promises again in a small ceremony, often after many years.
- They renewed their vows on their 25th wedding anniversary.
- They renewed their vows on their twentieth wedding anniversary.
- The couple traveled to the beach to renew their vows in a small ceremony.
- The couple plans to renew their vows in a beach ceremony.
- After a difficult year, they decided to renew their vows and start fresh.