Promise

6 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Promise \Prom"ise\, a. [F. promesse, L. promissum, fr.
     promittere, promissum, to put forth, foretell, promise; pro
     forward, for + mittere to send. See {Mission}. ]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. In general, a declaration, written or verbal, made by one
        person to another, which binds the person who makes it to


        do, or to forbear to do, a specified act; a declaration
        which gives to the person to whom it is made a right to
        expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a
        specified act.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more
              of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
                                                    --Gal. iii.
                                                    18.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Law) An engagement by one person to another, either in
        words or in writing, but properly not under seal, for the
        performance or nonperformance of some particular thing.
        The word promise is used to denote the mere engagement of
        a person, without regard to the consideration for it, or
        the corresponding duty of the party to whom it is made.
        --Chitty. Parsons. Burrill.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. That which causes hope, expectation, or assurance;
        especially, that which affords expectation of future
        distinction; as, a youth of great promise. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              My native country was full of youthful promise. --W.
                                                    Irving.
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     4. Bestowal, fulfillment, or grant of what is promised.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              He . . . commanded them that they should not depart
              from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the
              Father.                               --Acts i. 4.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Promise \Prom"ise\, v. i.
     [1913 Webster]
     1. To give assurance by a promise, or binding declaration.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To afford hopes or expectation; to give ground to expect
        good; rarely, to give reason to expect evil.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?
              I fear it, I promise you.             --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Promise \Prom"ise\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Promised}; p. pr. & vb.
     n. {Promising}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. To engage to do, give, make, or to refrain from doing,
        giving, or making, or the like; to covenant; to engage;
        as, to promise a visit; to promise a cessation of
        hostilities; to promise the payment of money. "To promise
        aid." --Shak.
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     2. To afford reason to expect; to cause hope or assurance of;
        as, the clouds promise rain. --Milton.
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     3. To make declaration of or give assurance of, as some
        benefit to be conferred; to pledge or engage to bestow;
        as, the proprietors promised large tracts of land; the
        city promised a reward.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Promised land}. See {Land of promise}, under {Land}.
  
     {To promise one's self}.
        (a) To resolve; to determine; to vow.
        (b) To be assured; to have strong confidence.
            [1913 Webster]
  
                  I dare promise myself you will attest the truth
                  of all I have advanced.           --Rambler.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  promise
       n 1: a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do
            (or not to do) something in the future
       2: grounds for feeling hopeful about the future; "there is
          little or no promise that he will recover" [syn: {hope}]
       v 1: make a promise or commitment [syn: {assure}]
       2: promise to undertake or give; "I promise you my best effort"
       3: make a prediction about; tell in advance; "Call the outcome
          of an election" [syn: {predict}, {foretell}, {prognosticate},
           {call}, {forebode}, {anticipate}]
       4: give grounds for expectations; "The new results were
          promising"; "The results promised fame and glory"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  199 Moby Thesaurus words for "promise":
     accede, accord, actuarial prediction, adumbration, afford hope,
     agree, agree to, agreement, apocalypse, arrangement, aspiration,
     assent, assumption, assurance, assure, assured faith, augur,
     augur well, augury, auspice, avouch, bargain, bargain for,
     be promising, bespeak, betoken, betokening, betokenment, bid fair,
     bid fair to, binding agreement, bond, capability, cartel, cheer,
     cheerful expectation, collective agreement, commitment, compact,
     confidence, consent, consortium, contract, convention, conviction,
     countersign, covenant, covenant of salt, deal, dependence, desire,
     dicker, do a deal, doomed hope, earnest, employment contract,
     engage, engagement, ensure, expectation, fair prospect, faith,
     fervent hope, foreboding, forecast, forecasting, foreshadow,
     foreshadowing, foreshowing, foresight, foretell, foretelling,
     foretoken, foretokening, formal agreement, give hope,
     give indication of, give prospect of, good cheer, good hope,
     great expectations, guarantee, guaranty, guesswork,
     have favorable odds, have good prospects, high hopes, hint,
     hint at, hold out hope, hold out promise, hope, hopeful prognosis,
     hopefulness, hopes, hoping, hoping against hope, imply,
     improbability, increase the chances, indicant, indicate,
     indication, inspire, inspire hope, inspirit, insure,
     ironclad agreement, justify hope, legal agreement, legal contract,
     likelihood, look like, make a deal, make a promise,
     make fair promise, make likely, make more likely, make probable,
     mutual agreement, oath, offer the expectation, omen, pact, paction,
     pass, pawn, pledge, plight, portent, potential, prayerful hope,
     prediction, prefiguration, prefigurement, prefiguring,
     preindication, premonitory shiver, premonitory sign,
     premonitory symptom, presage, presaging, presentiment, preshowing,
     presignifying, presumption, probability, probabilize, prognosis,
     prognostic, prognostication, prophecy, prophesying, prospect,
     prospects, prospectus, protocol, raise expectation,
     raise expectations, raise hope, reassure, reliance,
     sanguine expectation, security, seem likely, shadow,
     show a tendency, show signs of, sign, soothsay, speculation,
     stand fair to, statistical prediction, stipulate, stipulation,
     suggest, support, swear, token, tokening, transaction, troth,
     trust, type, understanding, undertake, undertaking, underwrite,
     union contract, valid contract, vaticination, vouch, vow,
     wage contract, warrant, warranty, well-grounded hope, word,
     word of honor
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  PROMISE, contr. An engagement by which the promisor contracts towards 
  another to perform or do something to the advantage of the latter. 
       2. When a promise is reduced to the form of a written agreement under 
  seal, it is called a covenant. 
       3. In order to be binding on the promisor, the promise must be made 
  upon a sufficient consideration -- when made without consideration, however, 
  it may be binding in foro conscientice, it is not obligatory in law, being 
  nudum pactum. Rutherf. Inst. 85; 18 Eng. C. L. Rep. 180, note a; Merl. Rep. 
  h.t. 
       4. When a promise is made, all that is said at the time, in relation to 
  it, must be considered; if, therefore, a man promise to pay all he owes, 
  accompanied by a denial that he owes anything, no action will lie to enforce 
  such a promise. 15 Wend. 187. 
       5. And when the promise is conditional, the condition must be performed 
  before it becomes of binding force. 7 John. 36. Vide Condition. Promises are 
  express or implied. Vide Undertaking, and 5 East, 17 2 Leon. 224, 5; 4 B. & 
  A. 595.