What does forswore mean?
Forswore is the past tense of the verb forswear, a formal English word carrying two related senses. In its dominant modern use, it means having solemnly renounced or given up something — a habit, a pursuit, a claim, or even a throne — often with the gravity of an oath behind the decision. In its older, legalistic sense, it means having committed perjury, swearing falsely when under oath to tell the truth. Both senses descend from Old English, combining 'for-' (here meaning wrongly or away from) with the verb 'to swear,' making the word's very structure a record of how seriously early Germanic societies took spoken vows. Today forswore reads as formal, literary, or deliberately elevated: it suits historical drama, political rhetoric, and moral pronouncements far better than casual conversation. Its variant spelling 'foreswore' is equally legitimate, and its noun derivative 'forsworn' famously colors Shakespearean accusations of broken faith.
verbPast tense of forswear: to have sworn falsely under oath, or to have formally renounced or given up something, especially by a solemn oath.
- To have renounced or given up something under oath or as if under oath (e.g., 'she forswore smoking').
- To have committed perjury — sworn falsely after having taken an oath to tell the truth.
"After years of excess, he forswore gambling entirely and never placed another bet."
"Defeated, the general forswore all claim to the crown and retired to a monastery."
"The witness forswore herself on the stand, and the perjury charge ended her career."
It's the rare verb whose past tense is more widely quoted than its present form — most people who say 'forswore' have never once said 'forswear.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of forswore
Forswore comes from Old English 'forswerian,' formed by attaching the prefix 'for-' — used here in its sense of wrongdoing or negation — to the verb 'swear,' which derives from the Proto-Germanic root *swarjan. The original sense was to swear falsely, i.e., to violate an oath, with renunciation emerging as an extended meaning of putting something away under oath. The same Germanic root lies behind 'swear' itself and, more distantly, 'answer' (Old English 'andswaru,' originally a solemn response to an accusation). Cognates appear across the Germanic languages, reflecting the central role of oath-taking in medieval legal life.
Related word forms
How forswore is actually used
Formal and somewhat archaic in flavor; today the renunciation sense dominates, and the perjury sense survives mainly in legal or literary contexts. The variant spelling 'foreswore' is equally acceptable.
Easily confused with forswore
Foreswear is simply a common variant spelling of forswear (and thus its past tense appears as foreswore); the two are interchangeable spellings, not different words.
Swore means to have made an oath or solemn promise, whereas forswore means either to have broken such an oath by lying or to have renounced something outright.