Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To retract (an oath), often by swearing another oath.
- intransitive verb To recant or retract something sworn.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To recant, revoke, or recall by a subsequent oath; retract by a second oath; abjure.
- To recant or recall on oath.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To recant or recall, as an oath; to recall after having sworn; to abjure.
- intransitive verb To recall an oath.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
recall a previously swornoath .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Women think they can swear a thing and unswear it, to save or please themselves.
His Grace of Osmonde Being the Portions of That Nobleman's Life Omitted in the Relation of His Lady's Story Presented to the World of Fashion under the Title of A Lady of Quality Frances Hodgson Burnett 1886
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'He must unswear it' said Priscilla, 'that is all.
He Knew He Was Right Anthony Trollope 1848
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Why then the revoking my consent does annul, or make of none effect your oath; so you may unswear it again.
The Double-Dealer, a comedy William Congreve 1699
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Why then the revoking my consent does annul, or make of none effect your oath; so you may unswear it again.
The Comedies of William Congreve Volume 1 [of 2] William Congreve 1699
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It is said of Philip of Macedon, he would swear and unswear, as might stand best with his interest.
The Ten Commandments 1692
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Since when did getting published make me Google’s vassal unless I “opt out” and unswear my allegiance?
BOOK VIEW CAFE BLOG » Le Guin: Petition Letter to the Judge of the Google Book Settlement. 2010
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‘He must unswear it’ said Priscilla, ‘that is all.
He Knew He Was Right 2004
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Naaman as one that had soon repented of his generosity, that was fickle, and did not know his own mind, that would say and unsay, swear and unswear, that would not do an honourable thing but he must presently undo it again. his story of the two sons of the prophets was as silly as it was false; if he would have begged a token for two young scholars, surely less than a talent of silver might serve them.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume II (Joshua to Esther) 1721
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