swore

Swore is the simple past tense of the verb swear. It is used in two main senses in modern English: to make a solemn promise or oath, and to utter profane or offensive language. In the oath sense, it appears in phrases such as "She swore to tell the truth" or "They swore allegiance to the nation." In the profanity sense, it can describe cursing or using vulgar language, as in "He swore at the referee." The corresponding past participle is sworn, as in "I have sworn never to reveal the secret."

Etymology and form: The verb derives from Old English swerian and is related to Dutch zweren and German schwören. The past tense took the form swore in Middle English and has remained common in modern English; the past participle is typically sworn rather than swore in standard usage. Some older or dialectal texts may show variability, but modern usage favors sworn as the participle.

Usage notes: In formal, legal, or ceremonial contexts, "swear" is used with "oath" or "in" (to swear an oath, to swear in a official). The sense of profanity is informal and can be considered vulgar in polite company. The word "sworn" appears in compounds and legal phrases (sworn statement, sworn affidavit) even when the simple past is "swore." In everyday speech, context usually makes the intended sense clear, distinguishing vow-taking from insult or expletive.