forswear

• foreswear

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.

• IPA^(key): /fə(ɹ)ˈswɛə(ɹ)/, /fɔː(ɹ)ˈswɛə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

forswear (third-person singular simple present forswears, present participle forswearing, simple past forswore, past participle forsworn)

1. (transitive) To renounce or deny something, especially under oath.

   Synonym: swear off

   We forswear allegiance and support for the Economic Freedom Fighters.

   • 1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew:

     Never to woo her more; but do forswear her.

   • 1726, John Dryden, translating Juvenal, Satires‎^[1]:

     Like Innocence, and as serenely bold / As Truth, how loudly He forswears thy Gold!.

   • 1995, Philip Roth, Sabbath's Theater‎^[2]:

     Either forswear fucking others or the affair is over.

   • 2008, Philip Roth, Indignation:

     The sheer unimaginableness of coming into her mouth — of coming into anything other than the air or a tissue or a dirty sock — was an allurement too stupendous for a novice to forswear.

2. (intransitive or reflexive) To commit perjury; to break an oath.

   Synonyms: perjure, manswear, misswear

• forwears