promise

prom·ise

 (prŏm′ĭs)

n.

1.

a. A declaration assuring that one will or will not do something; a vow.

b. Something promised.

2. Indication of something favorable to come; expectation: a promise of spring in the air.

3. Indication of future excellence or success: a player of great promise.

v. prom·ised, prom·is·ing, prom·is·es

v.tr.

1. To commit oneself by a promise to do or give; pledge: left but promised to return.

2. To afford a basis for expecting: thunderclouds that promise rain.

v.intr.

1. To make a declaration assuring that something will or will not be done.

2. To afford a basis for expectation: an enterprise that promises well.

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[Middle English promis, from Old French promise, from Medieval Latin prōmissa, alteration of Latin prōmissum, from neuter past participle of prōmittere, to send forth, promise : prō-, forth; see pro-¹ + mittere, to send.]

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prom′is·er n.

Synonyms: promise, pledge, swear, vow¹
These verbs mean to declare solemnly that one will follow a particular course of action: promises to write soon; pledged to uphold the law; swore to get revenge; vowed to fight to the finish.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

promise

(ˈprɒmɪs)

vb

1. (often foll by: to; when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to give an assurance of (something to someone); undertake (to do something) in the future: I promise that I will come.

2. (tr) to undertake to give (something to someone): he promised me a car for my birthday.

3. (when tr, takes an infinitive) to cause one to expect that in the future one is likely (to be or do something): she promises to be a fine soprano.

4. (usually passive) to engage to be married; betroth: I'm promised to Bill.

5. (tr) to assure (someone) of the authenticity or inevitability of something (often in the parenthetic phrase I promise you, used to emphasize a statement): there'll be trouble, I promise you.

n

6. an undertaking or assurance given by one person to another agreeing or guaranteeing to do or give something, or not to do or give something, in the future

7. indication of forthcoming excellence or goodness: a writer showing considerable promise.

8. the thing of which an assurance is given

[C14: from Latin prōmissum a promise, from prōmittere to send forth]

ˈpromiser n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

prom•ise

(ˈprɒm ɪs)

n., v. -ised, -is•ing. n.

1. a declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc: He kept his promise to write regularly.

2. indication of future excellence or achievement: a writer who shows promise.

3. something that is promised.

v.t.

4. to pledge or undertake by promise (usu. with an infinitive or a clause as object): She promised to visit us.

5. to make a promise of (some specified act, gift, etc.): to promise help.

6. to afford ground for expecting: The sky promises a storm.

7. to engage to join in marriage.

8. to assure (used in emphatic declarations): I won't go there again, I promise you!

v.i.

9. to make a promise.

10. to afford ground for expectation (often fol. by well or fair).

[1375–1425; late Middle English promis(se) < Medieval Latin prōmissa, for Latin prōmissum, n. use of neuter past participle of prōmittere to send forth, promise =prō- pro-¹ + mittere to send]

prom′is•er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

promise

• devout, devote - Devout and devote come from Latin de- and vovere, "promise."
• fiance - French for "a promise."
• gage - In "engage," it means "pledge, promise."
• promise - Latin promittere originally meant "send forth," but evolved to mean "say in advance, foretell," and then "cause to expect," hence, promise.

Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

Promise

 of tapsters: barmen collectively.

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Promise

 

See Also: RELIABILITY/UNRELIABILITY

1. He promises like a merchant-man and pays like a man-of-war —Italian proverb
2. His promises are lighter than the breath that utters them —John Ray’s Proverbs
3. Lovers’ oaths are thin as rain —Dorothy Parker
4. A pledge unpaid is like thunder without rain —Abraham Hasdai
5. Promise as solid as a bundle of water —Hindu proverb

   Modernized to non-sexist English from “A woman’s word is like a bundle of water.”

6. Promises are like pie-crusts —Danish proverb
7. The promises of authors are like the vows of lovers —Samuel Johnson

   See Also: WRITERS/WRITING

8. When a man takes an oath, he’s holding his own self in his own hands. Like water. And if he opens his fingers then, he needn’t hope to find himself again —Robert Bolt

Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

promise

Past participle: promised
Gerund: promising

Imperative

promise

promise

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	promise - a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future dedication, commitment - a message that makes a pledge speech act - the use of language to perform some act oath - a solemn promise, usually invoking a divine witness, regarding your future acts or behavior; "they took an oath of allegiance" parole, word of honor, word - a promise; "he gave his word" betrothal, troth, engagement - a mutual promise to marry pinning - a mutual promise of a couple not to date anyone else; on college campuses it was once signaled by the giving of a fraternity pin rain check - a promise that an unaccepted offer will be renewed in the future
	2.	promise - grounds for feeling hopeful about the future; "there is little or no promise that he will recover" hope expectation, outlook, prospect - belief about (or mental picture of) the future rainbow - an illusory hope; "chasing rainbows"
Verb	1.	promise - make a promise or commitment   assure pledge, plight - promise solemnly and formally; "I pledge that I will honor my wife" swear off - promise to abstain from; "I have sworn off cigarettes altogether" contract, undertake - enter into a contractual arrangement guarantee, undertake - promise to do or accomplish; "guarantee to free the prisoners" declare - state emphatically and authoritatively; "He declared that he needed more money to carry out the task he was charged with"
	2.	promise - promise to undertake or give; "I promise you my best effort" declare - state emphatically and authoritatively; "He declared that he needed more money to carry out the task he was charged with"
	3.	promise - make a prediction about; tell in advance; "Call the outcome of an election" forebode, predict, prognosticate, foretell, anticipate, call read - interpret the significance of, as of palms, tea leaves, intestines, the sky; also of human behavior; "She read the sky and predicted rain"; "I can't read his strange behavior"; "The fortune teller read his fate in the crystal ball" hazard, guess, venture, pretend - put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation; "I am guessing that the price of real estate will rise again"; "I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong" outguess, second-guess - attempt to anticipate or predict augur - predict from an omen bet, wager - maintain with or as if with a bet; "I bet she will be there!" forecast, calculate - predict in advance prophesy, vaticinate - predict or reveal through, or as if through, divine inspiration
	4.	promise - give grounds for expectations; "The new results were promising"; "The results promised fame and glory" be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

promise

verb

1. guarantee, pledge, vow, swear, contract, assure, undertake, warrant, plight, stipulate, vouch, take an oath, give an undertaking to, cross your heart, give your word They promised they would deliver it on Friday.

2. seem likely, look like, hint at, show signs of, bespeak, augur, betoken, lead you to expect, hold out hopes of, give hope of, bid fair, hold a probability of The seminar promises to be most instructive.

noun

1. guarantee, word, bond, vow, commitment, pledge, undertaking, assurance, engagement, compact, oath, covenant, word of honour If you make a promise, you should keep it.

2. potential, ability, talent, capacity, capability, flair, aptitude He first showed promise as an athlete in grade school.

Quotations
"We promise according to our hopes, and perform according to our fears" [La Rochefoucauld Maxims]
"Promises and pie-crust are made to be broken" [Jonathan Swift Polite Conversation]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

promise

noun

A declaration that one will or will not do a certain thing:

assurance, covenant, engagement, guarantee, guaranty, pledge, plight, solemn word, vow, warrant, word, word of honor.

verb

1. To assume an obligation:

contract, engage, pledge, undertake.

2. To guarantee by a solemn promise:

covenant, pledge, plight, swear, vow.

Idiom: give one's word of honor.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

أوعدتعهدوعدوَعَدَوَعْد

promesaprometre

slibslíbitslibovatpříslib

løfteloveforventning

versprechenHoffnungVerheißung

υπόσχεσηυπόσχομαι

promesaprometerfuturo

lupausluvata

promessepromettrevœuassureravenir

הבטחההבטיחנדר

obećanjeobećati

ígérígéretígérkezik

lofaloforîstrengja heitfyrirheit

promessaprometterepromettenteessere una grande promessaloforð

約束する約束

약속약속하다

daug žadantisperspektyvusteikti vilčiųžadėti

apsolītdot izredzesizredzesperspektīvasolījums

beloftebeloven

løftelovetegnetilsagngi løfte om

obiecaćobietnica

promessaprometer

promisiunepromite

обещаниеобещатьобетованиесулить

prísľub

obljubaobljubitiprelomiti obljubodržati obljubo

löftelova

คำมั่นสัญญาสัญญา

sözsöz vermeksözü vermekümitümit vermek

hứalời hứa

允诺向...保证给予…承诺的事物有...的可能有出息

promise

[ˈprɒmɪs]

A. N

1. (= pledge) → promesa f
a promise is a promise → lo prometido es deuda
promises, promises! (iro) → ¡mucho prometer y poco hacer!
is that a promise? → ¿me lo prometes?
to break one's promise → no cumplir su promesa, faltar a su promesa
to hold or keep sb to his promise → obligar a algn a cumplir su promesa, hacer que algn cumpla su promesa
to keep a/one's promise → cumplir una/su promesa
to make (sb) a promise → hacer una promesa (a algn)
I made him a promise that I'd come and visit him → le hice la promesa de que or le prometí que vendría a visitarlo
I might do it but I'm not making any promises → puede que lo haga, pero no prometo nada
promise of marriage → palabra f de matrimonio
to release sb from his promise → absolver a algn de su promesa
the party has received many promises of support → al partido se le ha prometido mucho apoyo
see also lick B

2. (= hope, prospect)
full of promise → muy prometedor
she fulfilled or lived up to the promise she'd shown in the '84 Olympics → demostró estar a la altura de lo que prometía en las Olimpiadas del 84
America held (out) the promise of a new life → América representaba la promesa de una nueva vida, América daba esperanzas de una nueva vida
a young man of promise → un joven que promete
she showed considerable promise as a pianist → prometía mucho como pianista

B. VT

1. (= pledge) → prometer
the promised aid had not been sent → no se había enviado la ayuda prometida
to promise (sb) that → prometer (a algn) que
I promised that I'd go → prometí que iría
promise me you won't tell her → prométeme que no se lo dirás
to promise (sb) to do sth → prometer (a algn) hacer algo
you must promise me to do as I say → tienes que prometerme que harás lo que yo te diga
he promised faithfully to return it → dio su palabra de que lo devolvería
I promised myself I would go and visit her → me prometí que iría a visitarla
buy that new dress you've been promising yourself → cómprate ese nuevo vestido que te habías hecho el propósito de comprarte
she telephoned, as promised → llamó, tal y como había prometido
to promise sb sth; promise sth to sb → prometer dar algo a algn
to promise sb the earth or the moon → prometer el oro y el moro a algn
the Promised Land → la Tierra Prometida

2. (= forecast, augur) → augurar
their policies promise little for the future → su política no augura un futuro muy prometedor
those clouds promise rain → esas nubes amenazan lluvia
it promises to be hot today → el día se presenta caluroso
the debate promises to be lively → el debate se presenta animado

3. (= assure) → prometer, jurar
there's no-one here, I promise you → no hay nadie aquí, te lo prometo or juro

C. VI

1. (= pledge) → prometer
"(do you) promise?" - "all right, I promise" → -¿lo prometes? -bueno, lo prometo
I can't promise but I'll try → no te prometo nada, pero haré lo que pueda
"I can't make it" - "but you promised!" → -no puedo -¡pero lo habías prometido!

2. (= augur)
to promise well such a good beginning promises well for the future → un principio tan bueno resulta muy prometedor or augura un buen futuro

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

promise

[ˈprɒmɪs]

n

(= undertaking) → promesse f
a promise to do sth → une promesse de faire qch
to make a promise → faire une promesse
to make sb a promise → faire une promesse à qn
He made me a promise → Il m'a fait une promesse.
to make a promise to do sth → promettre de faire qch
to break a promise → manquer à sa promesse
to keep one's promise → tenir sa promesse
that's a promise! → c'est promis!
to live up to its promise (= match expectations) → se montrer à la hauteur des attentes

(= potential) a student of great promise → un étudiant très prometteur, un étudiant plein de promesses
a young man of promise → un jeune homme plein de promesses
to show promise → montrer des dispositions
When she was young, she showed great promise as a tennis player → Lorsqu'elle était jeune, elle montrait de remarquables dispositions pour le tennis.
to be full of promise → être plein(e) de promesses

vt → promettre
to promise sth to sb, to promise sb sth → promettre qch à qn
to promise (that) ... → promettre que ...
to promise sb (that) ... → promettre à qn que ...
He promised his mother that he would write → Il a promis à sa mère qu'il écrirait.
promise me you won't be ... → promets-moi de ne pas être ...
Promise me you won't be late → Promets-moi de ne pas être en retard.
Promise me you will not waste your time → Promets-moi de ne pas perdre ton temps.

vi

(= give one's word) → promettre
I'll write, I promise! → J'écrirai, c'est promis!, J'écrirai, je le promets!
to promise to do sth → promettre de faire qch
She promised to write → Elle a promis d'écrire.

to promise to be sth (= seem likely) → promettre d'être qch
It promises to be lively → Cela promet d'être animé.
to promise well → promettrepromised land n → terre f promise

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

promise

n

(= pledge) → Versprechen nt; their promise of help → ihr Versprechen zu helfen; promise of marriage → Eheversprechen nt; under promise of (form) → mit dem Versprechen (+gen); is that a promise? → ganz bestimmt?; to make somebody a promise → jdm ein Versprechen geben or machen; make me one promise → versprich mir eins; I’m not making any promises → versprechen kann ich nichts; to hold or keep somebody to his promise → jdn an sein Versprechen binden; promises, promises! → Versprechen, nichts als Versprechen!

(= hope, prospect) → Hoffnung f, → Aussicht f; a young woman of promise → eine vielversprechende junge Frau; to hold out a or the promise of something to somebody → jdm Hoffnungen auf etw (acc) → machen; to show promise → zu den besten Hoffnungen berechtigen; she had a promise of passion in her eyes → ihre Augen verrieten Leidenschaft

vt (= pledge) → versprechen; (= forecast, augur) → hindeuten auf (+acc); to promise (somebody) to do something → (jdm) versprechen, etw zu tun; to promise somebody something, to promise something to somebody → jdm etw versprechen; to promise somebody the earth → jdm das Blaue vom Himmel herunter versprechen; promise me one thing → versprich mir eins; to be promised to somebody (dated) → jdm versprochen sein (old); I’m not promising anything but … → ich will nichts versprechen, aber …; I won’t do it again, I promise you → ich werde es nie wieder tun, das verspreche ich Ihnen; you’ll regret this, I promise you → ich verspreche dir, das wirst du bereuen; this promises trouble → das sieht nach Ärger aus; this promises better things to come → das lässt auf Besseres hoffen; it promised to be another scorching day → der Tag versprach wieder heiß zu werden; the Promised Land (Bibl, fig) → das Gelobte Land

vi

(= pledge) → versprechen; (do you) promise? → versprichst du es?; promise! (= will you promise) → versprichs mir, ehrlich?; (= I promise) → ehrlich!; I’ll try, but I’m not promising → ich werde es versuchen, aber ich kann nichts versprechen; but you promised! → aber du hast es doch versprochen!

to promise well → vielversprechend sein

vr to promise oneself something → sich (dat) → etw versprechen; I’ve promised myself never to do it again → ich habe mir geschworen, dass ich das nicht noch einmal mache

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

promise

[ˈprɒmɪs]

1. n → promessa
to make sb a promise → fare una promessa a qn
to keep one's promise → mantenere la propria promessa
a young man of promise → un giovane promettente
to show promise → promettere bene

2. vt → promettere
to promise (sb) to do sth → promettere (a qn) di fare qc
to promise sb sth, to promise sth to sb → promettere qc a qn
to promise sb the earth or the moon (fig) → promettere a qn mari e monti
to promise o.s. sth → promettere a se stesso/a qc

3. vi I can't promise, but ... → non te (or ve ) lo prometto, ma...
to promise well → promettere bene

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

promise

(ˈpromis) verb

1. to say, or give one's word (that one will, or will not, do something etc). I promise (that) I won't be late; I promise not to be late; I won't be late, I promise (you)! belowe يُعْطي وَعْدا обещавам prometer slíbit versprechen love υπόσχομαιprometer lubama قول دادن luvata promettre לְהַבטִיחַ प्रतिज्ञा करना, वचन देना (meg)ígér berjanji lofa (að) promettere 約束する 약속하다 (pa)žadėti apsolīt; solīties berjanji belovenlove przyrzekać لاس وركول prometer a promite обещать sľúbiť obljubiti obećati lova สัญญา söz vermek 允諾 обіцяти وعدہ کرنا hứa 允诺

2. to say or give one's assurance that one will give. He promised me a new dress. beloof يَعِدُ بأن يُعْطي обещавам prometer slíbit versprechen love τάζωprometer lubama وعده دادن luvata promettre לְהַבטִיחַ आशा दिलाना या देना ígér menjanjikan lofa promettere 約束する 보장하다 (pa)žadėti []solīt menjanjikan belovengi løfte om, garantere obiecywać وعده كول،ژمنه،قول prometer a promite посулить sľúbiť obljubiti obećati lova สัญญา vaat etmek, ... sözü vermek 向...保證給予...(或答應...) обіцяти يقين دہاني کرنا đảm bảo 向...保证给予...（或答应...）

3. to show signs of future events or developments. This situation promises well for the future. voorspel, beloof يُبَشِّرُ предсказвам prometer slibovat Hoffnung erwecken love υπόσχομαι, παρέχω ελπίδες prometer tõotama حاکی بودن؛ خبر از چیزی دادن enteillä promettre לְהַבטִיחַ विश्वास दिलाना ígérkezik menjanjikan harapan lofa promettere 見込みある 기대하게 하다 teikti vilčių, žadėti solīt; dot izredzes dijangka veelbelovend zijntegne, love godt zapowiadać (się) ژمنه وركول،خبر وركونه prometer a fi promiţător выглядеть многообещающе sľubovať obetati obećati lova, förebåda มีเค้า; ส่อแวว ümit vermek, olacağa benzemek 有...的可能 обіцяти اميد افزا ہونا báo hiệu 有...的可能

noun

1. something promised. He made a promise; I'll go with you – that's a promise! belofte وَعْد обещание promessa slib das Versprechen løfte υπόσχεσηpromesa lubadus قول lupaus promesseהבטחה प्रतिज्ञा, प्रतिश्रुति, वचन ígéret janji loforð promessa 約束 약속 pažadas solījums janji belofteløfte, tilsagnobietnica ژبه،قول،ژمنه promessa pro­misiune обещание sľub obljuba obećanje löfte คำมั่นสัญญา söz, vaat 諾言，承諾的事物 обіцянка وعدہ lời hứa 诺言，承诺的事物

2. a sign of future success. She shows great promise in her work. verwagting وَعْد، بَشير بالخَيْر والنَّجاح добри перспективи promessa příslib die Hoffnung forventning προοπτική επιτυχίας futuro (tuleviku)lootus دارای آینده خوب lupaus avenir כִּישָרוֹן מַבטִיחַ आशा, प्रत्याशा remény pertanda akan sukses fyrirheit promessa 見込み 유망함 viltys, perspektyva perspektīva; izredzes harapan veelbelovend teken løfterike utsikterrokowania, zapowiedź powodzenia د ښه راتلونكى خاوند promessa speranţă, promisiune перспектива prísľub obet obećanje löfte, talang เค้าของความสำเร็จ ümit, beklenti (有)前途，(有)出息 перспектива اميد افزا علامت triển vọng （有）前途，（有）出息

ˈpromising adjective

showing promise; likely to be good. She's a promising pianist; Her work is promising. belowend واعِدٌ، مُبَشِّرٌ بالخَيْر والنَّجاح обещаващ prometedor slibný vielversprechend lovende πολλά υποσχόμενος prometedor lootustäratav پرآتیه؛ امیدوار کننده lupaava prometteurמבטיח आशाजनक, उदीयमान, होनहार sokat ígérő memberi harapan efnilegur promettente 有望な 전도 유망한 daug žadantis, perspektyvus daudzsološs mempunyai harapan veelbelovendlovende, løfterikobiecujący هيله من كونكى، وعده وركول prometedor promiţător многообещающий sľubný obetajoč obećavajući lovande ที่มีความหวัง ümit verici, geleceği parlak 有希望的，有前途的 перспективний; такий, що подає надії ہونہار، اميد افزا đầy triển vọng 有希望的，有前途的

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

promise

→ وَعَدَ, يُوعِد slib, slíbit løfte, love Versprechen υπόσχεση, υπόσχομαι promesa, prometer lupaus, luvata promesse, promettre obećanje, obećati promessa, promettere 約束, 約束する 약속, 약속하다 belofte, beloven løfte, love obiecać, obietnica promessa, prometer обещание, обещать löfte, lova คำมั่นสัญญา, สัญญา söz, söz vermek hứa, lời hứa 允诺, 许诺

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

promise

n. promesa;

v. prometer, dar la palabra.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012