: a solemn promise or assertion
specifically
: one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition
vowed; vowing; vows
: to make a vow
Synonyms
Examples of vow in a Sentence
Noun
The monks take a vow of silence.
The bride and groom exchanged vows.
The mayor made a vow to reduce crime.
Recent Examples on the Web
Melanie Lindman, Wafaa Shurafa, and Samy Magdy, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
The couple exchanged wedding vows at the family home in Santa Barbara in 2007.
—Emy Lacroix, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Regina Jackson, the longest-serving police commissioner and the current chair emeritus, said Armstrong’s inclusion was intended to change the mayor’s mind about her vow not to rehire him.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2024
Despite those activities, the most popular reason to rent Clementine is to exchange vows.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
The couple divorced in 2016, and Paltrow has since remarried, exchanging vows with Glee producer Brad Falchuk in 2018.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2024
And, of course, the letter Brennan wrote to Booth eventually made for a great wedding vow.
—Kelly Connolly, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
Our Lady of Sorrows, a hospice for infirm and dying nuns (conveniently built over ancient catacombs!), to take her vows.
—Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
The couple exchanged their vows under the Maldivian sunset, and afterwards, guests gathered for dinner and to listen to heartfelt speeches from family and friends.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Trump has vowed to pardon the rioters and made the attack a cornerstone of his campaign.
—Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
While Carrie vows to pay Charlotte back, her expectation that her friends would bail her out, no questions asked, after years of financial irresponsibility, is truly entitled and completely lacking self-awareness—and there's never any update on whether or not Carrie ever reimburses Charlotte.
—Cady Lang, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
In the past, Diddy has denied wrongdoing and vowed to fight the lawsuits.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
The moves come as Iran’s supreme leader vowed revenge and said that Israel ‘will be slapped’ for a strike on Tehran’s consulate building in Syria that killed senior military commanders.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge on Israel on Tuesday for the airstrike.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024
The governor also promised to focus on infrastructure projects such as building the Sites Reservoir and vowed to move ahead with the Delta Conveyance Project, a tunnel the state has proposed for decades to carry water beneath Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
His opponent Faye, who has equally promised to create jobs, campaigned strongly against corruption, and vowed to reexamine energy contracts as Senegal prepares the launch of its oil and gas production later in the year.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2023
Archways are dotted throughout the main living room, which is overlooked by a Juliet balcony on the first floor, while the recessed shelves are full of photographs, vintage finds and books, including the books the couple read their wedding vows from.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2023
These Sikhs vow to live by the principles of Sikhism, including remembrance of God, truthful living, service to humanity and standing up against tyranny and injustice, Gill said.
—Grace Hauck, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2023
Republicans have decried the charges as being politically motivated, vowing to investigate Bragg and his office.
—Cami Mondeaux, Washington Examiner, 13 Apr. 2023
The documents contain purportedly private conversations between senior South Korean officials about Ukraine, indicating that Washington may have conducted surveillance on a key Asian ally even as the two nations publicly vowed to reinforce their alliance.
—Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Apr. 2023
The search for a missing 6-year-old Texas boy who hasn't been seen since October is now a death investigation, police said Thursday, while vowing to find his body.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2023
That message was echoed on pro-Trump extremist forums, where users lamented the charges against Trump and vowed revenge.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker and Jacqueline Alemany, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Apr. 2023
Policymakers share this view and vow to act, even when so often those promises don’t come to fruition.
—Ron Avi Astor, CNN, 3 Apr. 2023
Noun
In his address, Mr. Netanyahu also repeated his vow for a military ground offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than half of territory’s population of 2.3 million now shelters after fleeing fighting elsewhere.
—Melanie Lindman, Wafaa Shurafa, and Samy Magdy, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
The couple exchanged wedding vows at the family home in Santa Barbara in 2007.
—Emy Lacroix, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Regina Jackson, the longest-serving police commissioner and the current chair emeritus, said Armstrong’s inclusion was intended to change the mayor’s mind about her vow not to rehire him.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2024
Despite those activities, the most popular reason to rent Clementine is to exchange vows.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
The couple divorced in 2016, and Paltrow has since remarried, exchanging vows with Glee producer Brad Falchuk in 2018.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2024
And, of course, the letter Brennan wrote to Booth eventually made for a great wedding vow.
—Kelly Connolly, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
Our Lady of Sorrows, a hospice for infirm and dying nuns (conveniently built over ancient catacombs!), to take her vows.
—Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
The couple exchanged their vows under the Maldivian sunset, and afterwards, guests gathered for dinner and to listen to heartfelt speeches from family and friends.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
Verb
Israel's arch-enemy Iran has long vowed to completely destroy Israel.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Trump has vowed to pardon the rioters and made the attack a cornerstone of his campaign.
—Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
While Carrie vows to pay Charlotte back, her expectation that her friends would bail her out, no questions asked, after years of financial irresponsibility, is truly entitled and completely lacking self-awareness—and there's never any update on whether or not Carrie ever reimburses Charlotte.
—Cady Lang, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
In the past, Diddy has denied wrongdoing and vowed to fight the lawsuits.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
The moves come as Iran’s supreme leader vowed revenge and said that Israel ‘will be slapped’ for a strike on Tehran’s consulate building in Syria that killed senior military commanders.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge on Israel on Tuesday for the airstrike.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024
The governor also promised to focus on infrastructure projects such as building the Sites Reservoir and vowed to move ahead with the Delta Conveyance Project, a tunnel the state has proposed for decades to carry water beneath Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
His opponent Faye, who has equally promised to create jobs, campaigned strongly against corruption, and vowed to reexamine energy contracts as Senegal prepares the launch of its oil and gas production later in the year.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
Verb
While Feinstein on Wednesday vowed to return to the Capitol before retiring at the end of her term in early 2025, Black leaders in California wonder if the governor’s sincerity remains.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2023
Archways are dotted throughout the main living room, which is overlooked by a Juliet balcony on the first floor, while the recessed shelves are full of photographs, vintage finds and books, including the books the couple read their wedding vows from.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2023
These Sikhs vow to live by the principles of Sikhism, including remembrance of God, truthful living, service to humanity and standing up against tyranny and injustice, Gill said.
—Grace Hauck, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2023
Republicans have decried the charges as being politically motivated, vowing to investigate Bragg and his office.
—Cami Mondeaux, Washington Examiner, 13 Apr. 2023
The documents contain purportedly private conversations between senior South Korean officials about Ukraine, indicating that Washington may have conducted surveillance on a key Asian ally even as the two nations publicly vowed to reinforce their alliance.
—Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Apr. 2023
The search for a missing 6-year-old Texas boy who hasn't been seen since October is now a death investigation, police said Thursday, while vowing to find his body.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2023
That message was echoed on pro-Trump extremist forums, where users lamented the charges against Trump and vowed revenge.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker and Jacqueline Alemany, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Apr. 2023
Policymakers share this view and vow to act, even when so often those promises don’t come to fruition.
—Ron Avi Astor, CNN, 3 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English vowe, from Anglo-French vou, from Latin votum, from neuter of votus, past participle of vovēre to vow; akin to Greek euchesthai to pray, vow, Sanskrit vāghat sacrificer
Verb (2)
Middle English, short for avowen
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Verb (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of vow was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing vow
Dictionary Entries Near vow
Cite this Entry
“Vow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vow. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
vow
1 of 2 noun
: a solemn promise or statement
vow
2 of 2 verb1
: to make a vow or as a vow
2
: to bind or make holy by a vow
Legal Definition
vow
1 of 2 noun
: a solemn promise or statement
especially
: one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition
vow
2 of 2 transitive verb1
: to promise solemnly
2
: to bind or commit by a vow
: to make a vow
vower
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on vow
Nglish: Translation of vow for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of vow for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vow
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