swear out

verb

swore out; sworn out; swearing out; swears out

transitive verb

: to procure (a warrant for arrest) by making a sworn accusation

Examples of swear out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Rhodes said the gun claim stems from an encounter where a man threatened his son with a large pipe in a road rage incident, but the man swore out charges with a court commissioner saying Rhodes threatened him first. Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2024 Baltimore’s Police Accountability Board members on Monday questioned how a Baltimore Police captain was promoted to major in November despite a pending Internal Affairs investigation and District Court criminal charges sworn out days earlier. Darcy Costello, Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan. 2024 The lawsuit accused Worley of providing misinformation or failing to accurately provide information to a detective who swore out a search warrant for Britt’s home. Emily Opilo, Baltimore Sun, 1 Sep. 2023 Once the province solely of the police and fire departments, the city’s inspection crew, through the Property Standards Division, can now get involved in a process in which people can swear out complaints after the fact. Steve Lord, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2022 However, the police still chose to swear out misdemeanor complaints in 37th District Court against Cleveland Harville and others. Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 25 Jan. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swear out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of swear out was in 1850

Dictionary Entries Near swear out

Cite this Entry

“Swear out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swear%20out. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Legal Definition

swear out

transitive verb
: to procure (a warrant) by making a sworn statement
also : to make (a sworn affidavit) to procure a warrant
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