promise

promise — verb

1. When you promise something to someone, you give them your word that you will car

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

When you promise something to someone, you give them your word that you will carry out a certain action or ensure a particular result, which allows them to trust you.

Example

Shirin promised her little brother she would take him to the aquarium on Saturday morning.

promise + (that) + clause

The manager promised the team that bonuses would arrive before Christmas.

promise + someone + that-clause

Common collocations
  • promise faithfully
  • promise solemnly
  • promise someone something
  • promise to do something
  • promise that...
Synonyms
  • vow

    stronger and more formal; often used in religious or ceremonial contexts

  • pledge

    more formal and public than 'promise'; often used in political or fundraising contexts

  • swear

    emphasises solemnity; often implies a formal declaration or oath

  • assure

    focuses on removing someone's doubt rather than making a commitment to act

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

promise + to-infinitive

promise + (that) + clause

promise + someone + something

promise + speech

Usage Note

Common with a that-clause (often omitting 'that' in informal speech), a to-infinitive, or two objects. The direct-speech construction places 'promised' after the quoted words. This sense is very frequent in everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

I promised to my mother to study harder.
I promised my mother to study harder.
'promise' takes a direct object, not a prepositional one.
She promised that she will come.
She promised that she would come.
Use 'would' for a future-from-past perspective after 'promised'.

2. to give strong signs that something or someone will develop in a particular way

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to give strong signs that something or someone will develop in a particular way or reach a certain state — for example, a project that promises to be difficult, or a young athlete who promises to be a star.

Example

This summer promises to be one of the hottest on record, according to weather forecasters.

promise + to be + adjective

The new restaurant near the park promises to become a popular meeting place for locals.

promise + to-infinitive (become)

Common collocations
  • promise to be
  • promise to become
  • promise well
  • promise fair
Synonyms
  • indicate

    more neutral and factual; weaker implication of positive expectations

  • suggest

    softer and less definite than 'promise'

  • bode

    more formal; often used with 'well' or 'ill' ('bodes well for the future')

Grammar Patterns

promise + to be + adjective

Usage Note

Almost always followed by 'to be' or another to-infinitive that indicates a likely result. Rarely used in continuous tenses — you would not say 'it is promising to be hot'. The subject is typically a situation, event, trend, or creative work rather than a person making a deliberate statement.

Common Mistakes

The weather is promising to be nice today.
The weather promises to be nice today.
This sense does not use the continuous form even for near-future situations.
Idioms

promise (someone) the earth / the moon

idiom

to make very big or impossible promises to someone, usually in an attempt to persuade them to do something.

Before the election, the candidate promised the earth, but nothing changed after she won.

Sahil promised his girlfriend the moon, but he could not afford half of what he had offered.

I (can) promise you

idiom

A phrase used to strongly assure or warn someone about something.

I promise you, this movie will be the best you ever see.

If you don't finish your homework, you'll miss the game, I promise you.

promise (somebody) the earth/moon/world

idiom

To make unrealistic promises that cannot be kept.

The salesman promised us the world, but the car broke down.

Politicians often promise the moon during campaigns but deliver little.

promise — noun

Word family

  • promising
    adjectiveB2
  • promised
    adjectiveB1
  • promissory
    adjectiveC1
  • promisee
    nounC2
  • promisor
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve giving someone confidence about a future action, but they differ in strength, formality, and context. 'Promise' is the everyday word — you promise a friend to help them move, or a child promises to behave. 'Vow' is much stronger, carrying a sense of solemn, personal commitment often made in formal or emotional situations ('she vowed never to return'). 'Pledge' is more public and formal than 'promise', frequently used in political, charity, or organisational contexts ('the company pledged one million dollars to the relief fund'). 'Swear' adds a layer of solemnity or emotion, sometimes with a religious or legal tone ('I swear I will tell the truth'). 'Assure' is different — it focuses on removing doubt rather than making a commitment to act ('he assured her the train would arrive soon'). For everyday commitments, 'promise' is the most natural and widely used choice.

vow ↗pledge ↗swear ↗assure ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • promise to do something
  • promise that...
  • make a promise
  • keep a promise
  • break a promise
  • show promise
  • hold promise
  • full of promise

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Promise' entered English from Old French 'promesse', which came directly from Latin 'promissum' (a promise), the past participle of 'promittere' — a combination of 'pro-' (forward, before) and 'mittere' (to send). The Latin verb originally meant 'to send forth' or 'to put forward', and gradually shifted from the physical meaning of sending a message to the abstract sense of declaring something beforehand, which is still at the heart of the modern meaning. The verb form appeared in English around the 1400s, slightly before the noun form.