promise
American Heritage Dictionary:
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prom·ise
(prŏm'ĭs) 
n.
v., -ised, -is·ing, -is·es. v.tr.
n.
- A declaration assuring that one will or will not do something; a vow.
- Something promised.
- Indication of something favorable to come; expectation: a promise of spring in the air.
- Indication of future excellence or success: a player of great promise.
v., -ised, -is·ing, -is·es. v.tr.
- To commit oneself by a promise to do or give; pledge: left but promised to return.
- To afford a basis for expecting: thunderclouds that promise rain.
- To make a declaration assuring that something will or will not be done.
- To afford a basis for expectation: an enterprise that promises well.
[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.]
promiser prom'is·er n.SYNONYMS promise, pledge, swear, vow. 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.
Roget's Thesaurus:
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promise
noun
- A declaration that one will or will not do a certain thing: assurance, covenant, engagement, guarantee, guaranty, pledge, plight2, solemn word, vow, warrant, word, word of honor. See obligation.
verb
- To assume an obligation: contract, engage, pledge, undertake. See agree/disagree, obligation.
- To guarantee by a solemn promise: covenant, pledge, plight2, swear, vow. Idioms: give one's word of honor. See agree/disagree, obligation.
Antonyms by Answers.com:
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promise
n
Definition: hope, possibility
Antonyms: hopelessness, impossibility
n
Definition: one's word that something will be done
Antonyms: break, renege
v
Definition: bring hope, possibility
Antonyms: discourage
v
Definition: give word that something will be done
Antonyms: break, renege
Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy:
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promise
Giving one's word that one will do something creates a reason for action in the future. But when the time comes, by keeping the promise one seems to act because one has done something in the past, rather than for the sake of promoting some goal in the future. Promising therefore excites philosophical theory in two ways. There is first the question of the obligation to obey a promise: how can this exist, given its backwards-looking nature, and what are its stringency and limits? Secondly, there is a peculiarity about the origin of promise-making, in that it can easily seem that in a society with no such institution, it would never arise. This would be because it is essential to promising that at a later date you may have to turn aside from your own interests in order to keep the promise, and an individual who does this is relatively disadvantaged compared to one who does not. The problem is seen clearly by Hobbes. It is dramatized in the situation of the prisoners' dilemma, where making a promise to the other prisoner that you will not cheat would seem to be an empty charade, for no words alter the penalties and rewards. The social solution is that by institutionalizing promising, co-operative strategies can develop that further the common good, in spite of their potential for conflict with individual interest. See also convention, social contract.
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This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.
A written or oral declaration given in exchange for something of value that binds the maker to do, or forbear from, a certain specific act and gives to the person to whom the declaration is made the right to expect and enforce performance or forbearance. An undertaking that something will or will not occur. It is a manifestation of intent to act, or refrain from acting, in a certain manner.
In the law of commercial paper, an undertaking to pay. It must be more than an acknowledgment of an obligation.
The person who makes the declaration is the promisor. The person to whom the declaration is made is called the promisee.
In contracts, a promise is essential to a binding legal agreement and is given in exchange for consideration, which is the inducement to enter into a promise. A promise is illusory when the promisor does not bind herself to do anything and, therefore, furnishes no consideration for a valid contract.
A promise implied in fact is a tacit promise that can be inferred from expressions or acts of the promisor. A promise implied by law can arise when no express declaration is made, but the party, in equity and justice, is under a legal duty as if he had in fact actually made a promise.
Word Tutor:
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promise
IN BRIEF: An agreement to do or not to do something. Also: A reason for expecting success.
Never make a promise in haste.
— Gandhi (1869-1948)
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Sign Language Videos:
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promise
sign description: The index finger begins at the lips, then opens to a 5-hand that is placed on the closed fist.
Quotes About:
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Promises
Quotes:
"It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath."
- Aeschylus
"Civilization rests on a set of promises; if the promises are broken too often, the civilization dies, no matter how rich it may be, or how mechanically clever. Hope and faith depend on the promises; if hope and faith go, everything goes."
- Herbert Agar
"Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible."
- Hannah Arendt
"When a man takes an oath, Meg, he's holding his ownself in his own hands. Like water. And if he opens his fingers then- he needn't hope to find himself again."
- Robert Bolt
"If you wish to be success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing."
- Napoleon Bonaparte
"The best way to keep one's word is not to give it."
- Napoleon Bonaparte
See more famous quotes about Promises
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'promise'
- Modes and Manners of Expression - promise: declare that one will or will not do something
- Expressions of Feeling - promise: vow or pledge to do or not do something; declare emphatically
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Promise
For other uses, see Promise (disambiguation).
A promise is a commitment by someone to do or not do something.
In the law of contract, an exchange of promises is usually held to be legally enforceable, according to the Latin maxim pacta sunt servanda.
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Contents
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Types
Both an oath and an affirmation can be a promise. One special kind of promise is the vow.
A notable type of promise is an election promise.
In contract law, a promise is a manifestation of intent to act or refrain from acting in a specified way at some point in the future.[1] It is communicated by one party, to at least one additional party, to signify a commitment has been made. The person manifesting intent is the Promisor. The person to whom the manifestation is addressed is the Promisee. Where performance of the promise is intended to benefit a person other than the Promisee, that person is a third-party beneficiary. In contract law, the word "promise" is used to refer to manifestations of intent resulting in the receiving party reasonably relying on some form of performance in the future. From this promise, a legal duty will arise, the breach of which the Promisee may recover damages or restitution. For example, A orally agrees to sell land to B (an offer). B agrees to buy the land and pays $1000 to A (acceptance of the offer). If the land did not legally belong to A, A fraudulently misrepresented himself to B, which would entitle B to recover his $1000 by virtue of the Theory of Restitution. If the promise is misunderstood or defective, there is no agreement, or the agreement is voidable at the election of one or both parties. An agreement between two parties may consist of two promises, which is referred to as a bilateral contract.
Oath: Individuals that take oaths should be honest and sincere about their statement or goal and be committed to fulfil a specified oath.[2]
Examples
My friend promised me she would be there for my birthday.
My friend promised to do as I say.
My stepfather promised not to be cruel to me. - Cinderella
She gave me her promise.
I promise to watch this tv show before i go to bed.
Conditional commitment
In loan guarantees, a commitment requires to meet an equity commitment, as well as other conditions, before the loan guarantee is closed.
Religion
Religions have similar attitudes towards promises.
Christianity
Main article: Oath
In Christianity, a distinction is made between simple promises and oaths or vows. An oath is a promise invoking God as a witness.[3] A vow is a solemn form of a promise typically made to commit oneself to a moral good with God as witness, and binds oneself to its fulfillment over time.[4]
Some groups of Christians, such as the Religious Society of Friends and the Mennonites, object to the taking of both oaths and affirmations, basing their objections upon a commandment given in the Sermon on the Mount, and regard all promises to be witnessed by God.
See also biblical covenants and biblical alliance.
Islam
In An-Nahl, god forbids Muslims to break their promises after they have confirmed them. All promises are regarded as having Allah as their witness and guarantor. In the Hadith, the Prophet states that a Muslim who made a promise and then saw a better thing to do, should do the better thing and then make an act of atonement for breaking the promise.[citation needed]. It is frowned upon/forbidden to break a promise in Islam. However when someone does break a promise, they are required to beg for forgiveness. One of the many ways of doing so is fasting for a prescribed amount of time. One of the four types of promises that are punished quickly is when you want to harm a relationship when the other person wants to keep it .[5]
Philosophy
Philosophers have tried to establish rules for promises. Immanual Kant suggesed promises should always be kept, while some cosequentialists argue that promises should be broken whenever doing so would yield benefits. In How to Make Good Decisions and Be Right All the Time, Iain King tried to reconcile these positions, suggesting that promises should be kept 'unless they are worth less to others than a new option is to you,' [6] and that this requires a relevant, unforeseen and reasonably unforeseeable change in the situation more important than the promise itself arising after the promise is made.[7]
Politics
Promises are made to offer assurance, especially during election. Political tactic to offer promise that would guarantee a better future to lure voters. However, certain promises are made with few realistic supports to ever become existent. 2008 US presidential election, candidate Obama promised to "Prevent drug companies from blocking generic drugs from consumers." The promise was to prevent drug companies producing newer drugs to be granted the permission to block alternative drugs to be offered at a cheaper price, forcing consumer to purchase drugs with a heightened retailed price. Since his election as president, Obama has proposed a bill to counteract the current problem. However, after the introduction of the bill, no further progress has been made. [8]
See also
References
- Plato, The Republic (ca 370 BC) Book I, 33IB
- Cicero, De Officiis (ca 20 BC) I, C. IO, III, cc. 24-25
- Decretales of Gregory IX lib. II, tit. 26, C. 27, canon law did not enforce all promises
- Reinach, The Apriorischen Grundlagen des Bürgerlichen Rechtes (1922) §§ 2-4, that all rational societies need to have some way of making promises binding
Notes
- ^ Hogg, Martin (2011). Promises and Contract Law. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–57. ISBN 978-0-521-19338-2.
- ^ Buetow SA, Adams P (March 2010). "Oath-taking: a divine prescription for health-related behaviour change?". Medical Hypotheses 74 (3): 422–7. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2009.06.035. PMID 20056339. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0306-9877(09)00466-6. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
- ^ Bunson, Matthew (2010). Catholic Almanac 2010. Our Sunday Visitor. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-59276-614-7.
- ^ Bunson, op. cit. p.160
- ^ "Greater Sins." Al-Islam.org by the Ahlul Bayt DILP - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://www.al-islam.org/greater_sins_complete/26.ht
- ^ How to Make Good Decisions and Be Right All the Time: Solving the Riddle of Right and Wrong (2008), p.142
- ^ How to Make Good Decisions and Be Right All the Time: Solving the Riddle of Right and Wrong (2008), p.143
- ^ Louis Jacobson, “Legislation unlikely to be enacted this year”, “Tampa Bay Times”, Mar 9th, 2012
External links
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Translations:
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Promise
Dansk (Danish)
n. - løfte, forjættelse
v. tr. - love
v. intr. - love
idioms:
- promise ill varsle dårligt
- promise oneself love sig selv
- promise well love godt
- Promised Land Det forjættede Land
Nederlands (Dutch)
beloven, voorspellen, belofte, voorteken
Français (French)
n. - promesse, espoir
v. tr. - annoncer, assurer, promettre qch à qn, promettre, être promis en (mariage) (arch)
v. intr. - promettre, (fig) être très prometteur, s'annoncer bien (des résultats)
idioms:
- promise ill s'annoncer mal
- promise oneself se promettre
- promise the moon promettre la lune
- promise well s'annoncer bien
- Promised Land terre promise
Deutsch (German)
n. - Versprechen, Zusicherung, Hoffnung
v. - versprechen
idioms:
- promise ill viel versprechen , nicht sehr viel versprechen
- promise oneself sich etwas vornehmen
- promise the moon goldene Berge versprechen
- promise well viel versprechen
- Promised Land das Gelobte Land
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - υπόσχεση, επαγγελία, τάξιμο, ελπίδα
v. - υπόσχομαι, τάζω, δίνω υποσχέσεις, προμηνύω
idioms:
- promise ill ενέχω δυσοίωνες προοπτικές
- promise oneself υπόσχομαι στον εαυτό μου
- promise well υπόσχομαι πολλά, εμφανίζω ευοίωνες προοπτικές
- Promised Land η Χώρα της Επαγγελίας
Italiano (Italian)
promettere, promessa, voto
idioms:
- promise oneself ripromettersi
- promise well/ill avere belle/brutte prospettive
- Promised Land Terra Promessa
Português (Portuguese)
n. - promessa (f)
v. - prometer
idioms:
- promise oneself prometer a alguém
- promise well/ill ser/não ser promissor
- Promised Land terra prometida
Русский (Russian)
обещать, обещание
idioms:
- promise oneself решить, самому себе пообещать
- promise well/ill подавать/не подавать надежды
- Promised Land Земля Обетованная, Израиль
Español (Spanish)
n. - promesa, esperanza
v. tr. - prometer
v. intr. - hacer una promesa
idioms:
- promise ill prometer poco
- promise oneself prometerse
- promise the moon prometer el oro y el moro
- promise well prometer mucho
- Promised Land Tierra de Promisión
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - löfte
v. - (ut)lova, förebåda
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
诺言, 希望, 约定, 允诺, 答应, 作出保证, 有指望, 有前途
idioms:
- promise ill 没有希望的
- promise oneself 指望
- promise well 有希望, 有前途, 有指望
- Promised Land 期望中的乐土, 应许之地
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 諾言, 希望, 約定
v. tr. - 允諾, 答應
v. intr. - 允諾, 作出保證, 有指望, 有前途
idioms:
- promise ill 沒有希望的
- promise oneself 指望
- promise well 有希望, 有前途, 有指望
- Promised Land 期望中的樂土, 應許之地
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 약속, 계약
v. tr. - 약속하다, 약정하다
v. intr. - 가망이 있다, 약속[계약] 하다
idioms:
- promise oneself ~할 결심을 하다, 기대하다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 約束, 契約, 保証, 見込み, 将来性
v. - 約束する, 断言する, 見込みがある, そうだ, 契約する
idioms:
- promise oneself 心に決める, 決心する
- promise the moon 果たせそうもない無い途方も無い約束をする
- promise well/ill 見込みがある/ない
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) وعد, عهد, تعهد, بشير بالنجاح (فعل) يتعهد, يبشر, يقدم سببا
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - הבטחה, תקווה
v. tr. - בישר, הבטיח, אישר (מדוברת)
v. intr. - עורר ציפיות
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