Link Centre Dictionary

forswear

fors·wear

UK/fə(ɹ)ˈswɛə(ɹ)/ US/fɔː(ɹ)ˈswɛə(ɹ)/ uncommon

verb

1.

formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure

  • “He retracted his earlier statements about his religion”
  • “She abjured her beliefs”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English forsweren, from Old English forswerian (“to swear falsely”). Cognate with Old Saxon farswerian, Old High German farsweren, German verschwören. More at for- + swear.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.