making and breaking promises and commitments

English translation unavailable for making and breaking promises and commitments.

vow

vow [noun]

a serious promise or decision

US /vaʊ/ 
UK /vaʊ/ 
Example: 

She took/made a vow never to lend money to anyone again.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

vow

I. vow1 /vaʊ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: vou, from Latin votum; ⇨ ↑vote2]
1. a serious promise ⇨ oath:
Jim made a vow that he would find his wife’s killer.
2. a religious promise that you will do something for God, the church etc:
a monk who had taken a vow of poverty
3. vows [plural]
a) (also marriage/wedding vows) the promises you make during your wedding
b) the promises you make when you become a Catholic priest or ↑nun
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
make a vow I made a vow never to go near the place again.
take a vow (=make a vow at a formal ceremony) Priests have to take a vow of obedience to the Catholic Church.
keep a vow (=do as you promised) She kept her vow not to tell anyone about their affair.
break a vow (=fail to do as you promised) She accused him of breaking his marriage vows.
exchange vows (=make promises to each other as part of a wedding ceremony) They wanted to exchange vows before their family and friends.
renew your vows (=have a second wedding ceremony to repeat your promises) Fifty couples celebrated their golden weddings and renewed their vows at a cathedral service in Chicago.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + vow
a solemn vow (=a very serious vow, which you must keep) He made a solemn vow that he would do everything he could to help her.
marriage/wedding vows She wrote her own marriage vows.
a holy/sacred vow When we get married in church we are making sacred vows.
■ phrases
a vow of silence/poverty/celibacy etc People close to him have finally broken their vow of silence.
be bound by a vow (=to have promised seriously to do something) She told him she was bound by a vow not to tell any other person.
• • •
THESAURUS
promise a statement that you will definitely do or provide something, which may not be reliable: ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’ ‘Is that a promise?’ | Politicians are always making promises.
pledge a public or official promise to do a particular thing in the future: The Government has fulfilled at least 50% of its election pledges. | We have received pledges of help from various organizations.
vow a very serious promise to do something or not to do something that you choose to make: He made a vow never to drink alcohol again. | your marriage vows
oath a formal promise, especially one that someone makes in a court of law: Witnesses swear a solemn oath to tell the truth. | Public officials must take an oath to support the US Constitution.
undertaking a serious or public promise to do something, especially something difficult which needs a lot of effort or money: The police have given an undertaking to reduce street crime in the city centre. | He was made to sign a written undertaking that he would not go within a mile of her house.
assurance a promise that something will happen or is true, made so that someone is less worried or more confident: You have my assurance that it won’t happen again. | The manager gave me his personal assurance that the goods would be delivered today.
guarantee a very definite promise that something will happen. A guarantee is also a formal written promise by a company to repair or replace a product free if it has a fault within a fixed period of time.: With any diet, there’s no guarantee of success. | I’m afraid I can’t give you a 100% guarantee. | Is the camera still under guarantee (=within the period during which it can be repaired or replaced free)?

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

vow

vow [vow vows vowed vowing] noun, verb   [vaʊ]    [vaʊ]

noun
a formal and serious promise, especially a religious one, to do sth
to make/take a vow
to break/keep a vow
to break your marriage vows
Nuns take a vow of chastity.  
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French vou, from Latin votum ‘a vow, wish’, from vovere ‘to vow’; the verb is from Old French vouer.  
Collocations:
Marriage and divorce
Romance
fall/be (madly/deeply/hopelessly) in love (with sb)
be/believe in/fall in love at first sight
be/find true love/the love of your life
suffer (from) (the pains/pangs of) unrequited love
have/feel/show/express great/deep/genuine affection for sb/sth
meet/marry your husband/wife/partner/fiancé/fiancée/boyfriend/girlfriend
have/go on a (blind) date
be going out with/ (especially NAmE) dating a guy/girl/boy/man/woman
move in with/live with your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner
Weddings
get/be engaged/married/divorced
arrange/plan a wedding
have a big wedding/a honeymoon/a happy marriage
have/enter into an arranged marriage
call off/cancel/postpone your wedding
invite sb to/go to/attend a wedding/a wedding ceremony/a wedding reception
conduct/perform a wedding ceremony
exchange rings/wedding vows/marriage vows
congratulate/toast/raise a glass to the happy couple
be/go on honeymoon (with your wife/husband)
celebrate your first (wedding) anniversary
Separation and divorce
be unfaithful to/ (informal) cheat on your husband/wife/partner/fiancé/fiancée/boyfriend/girlfriend
have an affair (with sb)
break off/end an engagement/a relationship
break up with/split up with/ (informal) dump your boyfriend/girlfriend
separate from/be separated from/leave/divorce your husband/wife
annul/dissolve a marriage
apply for/ask for/go through/get a divorce
get/gain/be awarded/have/lose custody of the children
pay alimony/child support (to your ex-wife/husband) 
Example Bank:
He took a lifelong vow of celibacy.
Nothing will persuade me to break this vow.
She decided to leave the convent before taking her final vows.
She kept her vow of silence until she died.
The couple exchanged vows at the altar.
a vow of poverty
As a priest he had taken a vow of celibacy.
She made a vow never to speak to him again.
She would not be unfaithful to her marriage vows.

The monks take a vow of silence.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

vow / vaʊ / noun [ C ]

C2 a serious promise or decision:

[ + to infinitive ] She took/made a vow never to lend money to anyone again.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

vow

[va͟ʊ]
 vows, vowing, vowed
 1) VERB If you vow to do something, you make a serious promise or decision that you will do it.
  [V to-inf] While many models vow to go back to college, few do...
  [V that] I solemnly vowed that someday I would return to live in Europe...
  [V with quote] `I'll kill him,' she vowed...
  [V n] They have vowed a quick and decisive response.
 2) N-COUNT: oft N to-inf, N that A vow is a serious promise or decision to do a particular thing.
  I made a silent vow to be more careful in the future...
  I had to admire David's vow that he would leave the programme.
  Syn:
  resolution
 3) N-COUNT: usu pl, with supp Vows are a particular set of serious promises, such as the promises two people make when they are getting married.
  I took my marriage vows and kept them.
  ...a nun who had taken final vows...
  He had broken his vow of poverty.
  Syn:
  oath

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

1vow /ˈvaʊ/ noun, pl vows [count] : a serious promise to do something or to behave in a certain way
• The monks take a vow of silence/chastity/poverty.
• marriage/wedding vows
• The bride and groom exchanged vows.
• The mayor made a vow to reduce crime.

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