promise

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++prom·ise1 /ˈprɒmɪs $ ˈprɑː-/ ●●● S2 W2 verb  1  [intransitive, transitive]PROMISE to tell someone that you will definitely do or provide something or that something will happen 许诺，保证，答应 Last night the headmaster promised a full investigation. 校长昨晚允诺进行全面调查。promise to do something She’s promised to do all she can to help. 她答应尽力帮忙。promise (that)5his promise that the job would be mine他作出的我将得到那份工作的承诺 Hurry up – we promised we wouldn’t be late. 快点，我们保证过不会迟到的。promise somebody (that) You promised me the car would be ready on Monday. 你答应过我车子星期一可以用。 ‘Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.’ ‘I promise.’ “答应我你不会做蠢事。” 我答应。”promise something to somebody I’ve promised that book to Ian, I’m afraid. 我已经答应把那本书给伊恩了，对不起。promise somebody something The company promised us a bonus this year. 公司承诺今年给我们发奖金。 ‘I’ll be back by 1.00.’ ‘Promise?’ ‘Yes! Don’t worry.’ “我1点钟前会回来。”“你保证？”“是的！别担心。” He reappeared two hours later, as promised. 就像他保证过的，他两小时后再次露面。2  [transitive]EXPECT to show signs of something 预示…可能发生promise to be something Tonight’s meeting promises to be a difficult one. 今晚的会议有可能不容易对付。 dark clouds promising showers later 预示着稍后有阵雨的乌云3. promise somebody the moon/the earth PROMISEto promise to give someone something that is impossible for you to give 向某人夸下海口4  I can’t promise (anything) spokenPROMISE# used to tell someone that you will try to do what they want, but may not be able to 我无法保证 I’ll try my best to get tickets, but I can’t promise anything. 我会尽我所能弄到门票，但我不能保证什么。5  I promise you spoken used to emphasize a promise, warning, or statement 我保证 I promise you, it does work! 我保你管用！n GRAMMAR: Patterns with promise• You promise to do something: He promised to help.• You promise that you will do something: I promise that I will come to your party.• You promise someone that you will do something: I promise you that I will come.• You promised that you would do something: She promised that she would come. • You promised someone that you would do something: My parents promised me that they would buy me a new car. ✗Don’t say: My parents promised me to buy a new car.• You can also promise someone something: My parents promised me a new car.  THESAURUSpromise to tell someone that you will definitely do something, or that something will happen 许诺,答应He promised to give the book back. 他答应要归还那本书。The organisers have promised that this year’s event will take place. 组织者已承诺本年度的活动将会举行。swear to make a very serious and sincere promise, for example in a law court 发誓,宣誓He had sworn to tell the truth. 他宣誓说实话。I would never do that, I swear. 我发誓决不会那么做的。give somebody your word especially spoken to promise sincerely that you will do something or that something is true – often used when you are trying to persuade someone that they can trust you 向某人保证,答应某人 〔常用于劝说某人信任自己〕I give you my word that your money is safe with me. 我向你保证,你的钱放在我这里很安全。nI’ll let you go out tonight if you give me your word that you’ll be home by 11.vow to make a very serious promise, often to yourself 〔常指对自己〕发誓She vowed that she would never drink alcohol again. 她发誓再也不喝酒了。They vowed to carry on their campaign for justice. 他们发誓要将正义运动继续下去。assure to promise someone that something will happen or that something is true, in order to try to make them feel less worried 向…保证,使确信Police have assured the public that they are doing everything they can to find the killer. 警方向公众保证他们在尽其所能抓捕凶手。guarantee to promise that you will make sure that something will definitely happen, so that there is no question of it not happening 保证,担保I guarantee that you will have the documents by tomorrow. 我保证明天你能拿到文件。How can you guarantee that this won’t happen again? 你怎么能担保这种事不会再次发生？pledge to promise publicly or officially that you will do something, for example to give help or money 〔公开或正式〕保证,许诺The government has pledged to increase overseas aid to $4 billion over the next five years. 政府承诺未来五年将海外援助增加至40亿美元。undertake formal to make an official or legal promise to do something 作出〔正式或法律的〕承诺,保证The government undertook to keep price increases to a minimum. 政府许诺把物价上涨控制在最低限度。The two sides undertook to respect each other’s territory. 双方承诺将相互尊重对方的领土。commit to something formal to make a firm and definite promise to do something important, which will affect you for a long time and which could result in serious effects if you fail 承诺某事,投入于某事Bobby felt unready to commit to a romantic relationship. 博比感觉自己还没有准备好投入一段感情中。A group of 11 companies has committed to developing a new passenger plane. 11 家公司共同承诺开发一种新型客机。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

promise• "I can't take you to the beach today, after all.'' "But you promised!''• Money promised for language classes and business start-ups did not arrive.• Tanui promised he would be looking out for news about me during the week.• He promises himself an easier workout tomorrow.• Have you assured yourself that you can deliver whatever value is promised in your set of products and services?• Since the Tory election win in April, Mr Major promised interest rates would come down.• I promised Jamie a ride to school this morning.• Richardson apologized and promised that appropriate action would be taken to fix the problem.• I promised the kids I'd take them to a movie.• Anything about the bond market promises to be long and dull.• The government had promised to investigate the cause of the accident.• Dole repeatedly promises veterans that he would not touch their benefits.as promised• On Monday, the hostages were released as promised.• Inevitably, therefore, the government fails to deliver the goods as demanded, as expected, and sometimes even as promised.• Jarrett Keach reappeared two hours later, as promised.• Only make sure they pay you as promised.• The women spun the flax and were invited to the wedding as promised.• In Part Three of the present book, as promised, I shall celebrate the sacred power of Imagination.• I had been training throughout the winter and Andy, as promised, sneaked me some races in the summer.• On the inside, as promised, was a label, printed black on gold, scratched and ink-stained but clearly legible.promise to be something• And what a morning it promises to be!• Educational standards promise to be a flash point in the presidential campaign this year.• All in all, it promises to be a huge weekend with a happy hour and disco etal.• Next year promises to be even better.• The circle seems unbroken, and now, in this new millennium, Showcase promises to be even more successful.• These promise to be of such importance that I shall briefly relate them here, before journeying north.• Their fleets soon arrived at Constantinople and the war promised to be the most wide-ranging since the fall of the first Napoleon.promise2 ●●● S3 W2 noun  1  [countable]PROMISE a statement that you will definitely do or provide something or that something will definitely happen 保证，承诺，诺言promise of We received promises of support from several MPs. 数名议员承诺支持我们。promise to He would never break his promise to his father. 他决不会违背对父亲的承诺。promise to do something She made a promise to visit them once a month. 她答应每个月去看他们一次。npromise thatn I received a promise that this would not happen again.2  [uncountable]SIGN/INDICATION signs that something or someone will be good or successful 〔某事或某人将有好结果或成功的〕迹象，征兆 a young man full of promise 一个大有前途的年轻人 Bill shows great promise as a goalkeeper. 作为守门员，比尔很有希望。 She didn’t fulfil her early promise. 她并未像小时候表现的那样有出息。3  [singular, uncountable] a sign that something, usually something good, may happen 迹象；〔通常指〕吉兆promise of the promise of spring 春天的迹象 The letter gave a promise of greater happiness. 那封信预示了更大的幸福。 COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a statement that you will definitely do or provide something or that something will definitely happen 保证，承诺，诺言verbsmake a promise 承诺,许诺I made a promise to my mother that I’d look after Dad. 我答应母亲我会照看父亲的。keep a promise (also fulfil a promise British English, fulfill a promise American English formal) (=do what you promised to do) 信守诺言She said she would come back, and she kept her promise. 她说过会回来的,她也说到做到了。nThe mayor has fulfilled his promise to get tough on corruption.break a promise (=not do what you promised to do) 食言Once again, the government has broken its promises. 政府再一次食言了。ngo back on your promise (=break it)They were angry that the company had gone back on its promise.nrenege on a promise formal (=break it)It is tempting for the government to renege on its promise.nhave somebody’s promise (=they have promised you something)‘It’ll remain a secret?’ ‘Yes, you have my promise.’nhold somebody to their promise (=make them keep it)The next day, Gareth held me to my promise to take him fishing.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + promisea solemn promise 郑重的承诺As governor, I made a solemn promise to defend the laws of the Republic. 作为州长,我郑重承诺要捍卫共和国的法律。a firm promise (=definite) 明确的承诺nWhat had happened to all those firm promises of help?a vague promise (=not definite) 含糊的承诺nLarry made some vague promises to leave his wife.a false/empty/hollow promise (=one that will not be kept) 虚假的/空洞的承诺nI didn’t make any false promises.a broken promise (=one that has not been kept) 背弃的诺言nThere have been too many broken promises.na campaign/election promiseHe was accused of breaking a campaign promise not to raise taxes.n THESAURUSpromise a statement that you will definitely do or provide something, which may not be reliable‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’ ‘Is that a promise?’Politicians are always making promises.pledge a public or official promise to do a particular thing in the futureThe Government has fulfilled at least 50% of its election pledges.We have received pledges of help from various organizations.vow a very serious promise to do something or not to do something that you choose to makeHe made a vow never to drink alcohol again.your marriage vowsoath a formal promise, especially one that someone makes in a court of lawWitnesses swear a solemn oath to tell the truth.Public officials must take an oath to support the US Constitution.undertaking a serious or public promise to do something, especially something difficult which needs a lot of effort or moneyThe police have given an undertaking to reduce street crime in the city centre.He was made to sign a written undertaking that he would not go within a mile of her house.assurance a promise that something will happen or is true, made so that someone is less worried or more confidentYou have my assurance that it won’t happen again.The manager gave me his personal assurance that the goods would be delivered today.guarantee a very definite promise that something will happen. A guarantee is also a formal written promise by a company to repair or replace a product free if it has a fault within a fixed period of time.With any diet, there’s no guarantee of success.I’m afraid I can’t give you a 100% guarantee.Is the camera still under guarantee (=within the period during which it can be repaired or replaced free)?n COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: signs that something or someone will be good or successful 〔某事或某人将有好结果或成功的〕迹象，征兆verbsshow promise (=seem likely to be good or successful)She showed promise as a singer at an early age.hold promise (=seem likely to be good or successful – used of things)The Internet clearly held great promise as an educational tool.fulfil your/its promise (also live up to your/its promise) (=be as good as expected)This young player has begun to fulfil his promise.The rest of this movie never quite lives up to the promise of that opening moment.adjectivesgreat promiseHe’d initially shown great promise as a goalkeeper.early promiseTracey showed early promise in mathematics.

Examples from the Corpus

promise• "I'll call you tomorrow." "Is that a promise?"• He left with a promise that he would be back before six.• Usually the sins confessed were minor in nature: a broken promise, a plagiarized term paper.• Scott made a campaign promise not to raise taxes.• Mannheim's relationism seemed to his detractors like a hollow promise, an attempt to have it both ways.• But Comcast has made the investment and delivered on its promise.• Even worse, it turned out that being able to offer drinks was not a key promise for his customers.• Making promises is risky for a company, but it usually does result in improved customer relations.• The refugees are relying on promises of food and aid from the West.• The security of both was the promise of a large proportion of the land after the drainage operation had been successfully completed.• These promise to be of such importance that I shall briefly relate them here, before journeying north.• Inherent in this promise is a kind of security blanket; the union chief is replaced with a mutual fund manager.• Not withstanding this promise, the use of road pricing to change travel habits still seems some way off.promise that• There has been a promise that prosperity will be permanent.• Food Reform promised an end to sickness if certain procedures were followed, a promise that was not, of course, fulfilled.• Feminism once held out a promise that there would be some precincts of womanly life that were not all about men.• Benn promised that the first thing he would do when returning home would be to go straight to see Michael Watson.• The commission promises that its proposals under the social chapter will be squeaky-clean in their impact on jobs.• The thrifts, many of which were forced into insolvency, say the change violated contractual promises that federal thrift regulators.• City Hall had promised that urban renewal would be used to help restore and stabilize the community.• Smith lamely promised that help would be given to any women wanting to lead a decent life.fulfil ... early promise• In September 1976 he joined Spurs for £200,000, but his career there never fully fulfilled its earlier promise.• As I entered my fourth lustre, it became evident that I was not going to fulfil my early promise.Origin promise2 (1300-1400) Latin promissum, from the past participle of promittere “to send out, promise”

prom·ise1 verb →n GRAMMAR1 →THESAURUS1promise2 noun →COLLOCATIONS1 →n COLLOCATIONS2
→n THESAURUS1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable  

that definitely tell Corpus to someone you will

promise

I

prom‧ise¹ S2 W2 /ˈprɒməs, ˈprɒmɪs $ ˈprɑː-/ verb
1. [intransitive and transitive] to tell someone that you will definitely do or provide something or that something will happen:
    Last night the headmaster promised a full investigation.
    promise to do something
    She’s promised to do all she can to help.
    promise (that)
    Hurry up – we promised we wouldn’t be late.
    promise somebody (that)
    You promised me the car would be ready on Monday.
    ‘Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.’ ‘I promise.’
    promise something to somebody
    I’ve promised that book to Ian, I’m afraid.
    promise somebody something
    The company promised us a bonus this year.
    ‘I’ll be back by 1.00.’ ‘Promise?’ ‘Yes! Don’t worry.’
    He reappeared two hours later, as promised.
2. [transitive] to show signs of something
    promise to be something
    Tonight’s meeting promises to be a difficult one.
    dark clouds promising showers later
3. promise somebody the moon/the earth to promise to give someone something that is impossible for you to give
4. I can’t promise (anything) spoken used to tell someone that you will try to do what they want, but may not be able to:
    I’ll try my best to get tickets, but I can’t promise anything.
5. I promise you spoken used to emphasize a promise, warning, or statement:
    I promise you, it does work!
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ promise to tell someone that you will definitely do something, or that something will happen: He promised to give the book back. | The organisers have promised that this year’s event will take place.
   ▪ swear to make a very serious and sincere promise, for example in a law court: He had sworn to tell the truth. | I would never do that, I swear.
   ▪ give somebody your word especially spoken to promise sincerely that you will do something or that something is true – often used when you are trying to persuade someone that they can trust you: I give you my word that your money is safe with me. | I’ll let you go out tonight if you give me your word that you’ll be home by 11.
   ▪ vow to make a very serious promise, often to yourself: She vowed that she would never drink alcohol again. | They vowed to carry on their campaign for justice.
   ▪ assure to promise someone that something will happen or that something is true, in order to try to make them feel less worried: Police have assured the public that they are doing everything they can to find the killer.
   ▪ guarantee to promise that you will make sure that something will definitely happen, so that there is no question of it not happening: I guarantee that you will have the documents by tomorrow. | How can you guarantee that this won’t happen again?
   ▪ pledge to promise publicly or officially that you will do something, for example to give help or money: The government has pledged to increase overseas aid to $4 billion over the next five years.
   ▪ undertake formal to make an official or legal promise to do something: The government undertook to keep price increases to a minimum. | The two sides undertook to respect each other’s territory.
   ▪ commit to something formal to make a firm and definite promise to do something important, which will affect you for a long time and which could result in serious effects if you fail: Bobby felt unready to commit to a romantic relationship. | A group of 11 companies has committed to developing a new passenger plane.

II

promise² S3 W2 noun1. [countable] a statement that you will definitely do or provide something or that something will definitely happen
    promise of
    We received promises of support from several MPs.
    promise to
    He would never break his promise to his father.
    promise to do something
    She made a promise to visit them once a month.
    promise that
    He promised that he’d pick me up.
2. [uncountable] signs that something or someone will be good or successful:
    a young man full of promise
    Bill shows great promise as a goalkeeper.
    She didn’t fulfil her early promise.
3. [singular, uncountable] a sign that something, usually something good, may happen
    promise of
    the promise of spring
    The letter gave a promise of greater happiness.
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 1)

■ verbs
   ▪ make a promise I made a promise to my mother that I’d look after Dad.
   ▪ keep a promise (also fulfil a promise British English, fulfill a promise American English formal) (=do what you promised to do) She said she would come back, and she kept her promise. | The mayor has fulfilled his promise to get tough on corruption.
   ▪ break a promise (=not do what you promised to do) Once again, the government has broken its promises.
   ▪ go back on your promise (=break it) They were angry that the company had gone back on its promise.
   ▪ renege on a promise formal (=break it) It is tempting for the government to renege on its promise.
   ▪ have sb’s promise (=they have promised you something) ‘It’ll remain a secret?’ ‘Yes, you have my promise.’
   ▪ hold somebody to their promise (=make them keep it) The next day, Gareth held me to my promise to take him fishing.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + promise
   ▪ a solemn promise As governor, I made a solemn promise to defend the laws of the Republic.
   ▪ a firm promise (=definite) What had happened to all those firm promises of help?
   ▪ a vague promise (=not definite) Larry made some vague promises to leave his wife.
   ▪ a false/empty/hollow promise (=one that will not be kept) I didn’t make any false promises.
   ▪ a broken promise (=one that has not been kept) There have been too many broken promises.
   ▪ a campaign/election promise He was accused of breaking a campaign promise not to raise taxes.
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 2)

■ verbs
   ▪ show promise (=seem likely to be good or successful) She showed promise as a singer at an early age.
   ▪ hold promise (=seem likely to be good or successful – used of things) The Internet clearly held great promise as an educational tool.
   ▪ fulfil your/its promise (also live up to your/its promise) (=be as good as expected) This young player has begun to fulfil his promise. | The rest of this movie never quite lives up to the promise of that opening moment.
■ adjectives
   ▪ great promise He’d initially shown great promise as a goalkeeper.
   ▪ early promise Tracey showed early promise in mathematics.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ promise a statement that you will definitely do or provide something, which may not be reliable: ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’ ‘Is that a promise?’ | Politicians are always making promises.
   ▪ pledge a public or official promise to do a particular thing in the future: The Government has fulfilled at least 50% of its election pledges. | We have received pledges of help from various organizations.
   ▪ vow a very serious promise to do something or not to do something that you choose to make: He made a vow never to drink alcohol again. | your marriage vows
   ▪ oath a formal promise, especially one that someone makes in a court of law: Witnesses swear a solemn oath to tell the truth. | Public officials must take an oath to support the US Constitution.
   ▪ undertaking a serious or public promise to do something, especially something difficult which needs a lot of effort or money: The police have given an undertaking to reduce street crime in the city centre. | He was made to sign a written undertaking that he would not go within a mile of her house.
   ▪ assurance a promise that something will happen or is true, made so that someone is less worried or more confident: You have my assurance that it won’t happen again. | The manager gave me his personal assurance that the goods would be delivered today.
   ▪ guarantee a very definite promise that something will happen. A guarantee is also a formal written promise by a company to repair or replace a product free if it has a fault within a fixed period of time.: With any diet, there’s no guarantee of success. | I’m afraid I can’t give you a 100% guarantee. | Is the camera still under guarantee (=within the period during which it can be repaired or replaced free)?