# swearing

Pronunciation: say "SWAIR-ing" US /ˈswɛəɹɪŋ/, UK /ˈswɛə(ɹ)ɪŋ/, AUS /ˈsweːɹɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The act of taking an oath or making a solemn, binding promise.
   - Simple: The act of making a serious, formal promise, often called an oath.
   - _The swearing of the oath sealed his loyalty to the crown._
   - _Citizenship ceremonies end with the swearing of allegiance before a judge._

## Verb

2. Present participle and gerund of swear. — present participle and gerund of swear
   - Simple: Present participle of swear. Use this -ing form when the action is happening now.
   - _The recruits were swearing allegiance as the flag was raised._
   - _He kept swearing under his breath while fixing the engine._

## Origin

From Middle English sweryng, equivalent to swear combined with the suffix -ing.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/swearing (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).