vow

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

vow [vow vows vowed vowing] noun, verb BrE [vaʊ] NAmE [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.

 
verb
to make a formal and serious promise to do sth or a formal statement that is true
•~ to do sth She vowed never to speak to him again.
•~ (that)… He vowed (that) he had not hurt her.
•~ sth They vowed eternal friendship.
•+ speech ‘I'll be back,’ she vowed.
Verb forms:

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.

Example Bank:
•He silently vowed vengeance on them all.
•I vowed never to drink so much again.
•She vowed to herself that she would not show any emotion.