Meaning & use
pinkie swear
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A serious promise made by hooking your little finger with someone else's little finger.
Grammar: Countable: make a pinkie swear.
Patterns
- make a pinkie swear
- a pinkie swear about something
They made a pinkie swear never to tell the secret.
A pinkie swear is the strongest promise in our family.
She held out her hand for a pinkie swear.
verbintransitive
To promise something by hooking little fingers with another person.
Grammar: No object, though it can be followed by a clause: pinkie swear that you will come.
Patterns
- pinkie swear to do something
- pinkie swear that something
Pinkie swear you won't tell anyone.
The two girls pinkie swore to stay friends forever.
He pinkie swore he would be on time.
Word forms
| third person singular | pinkie swears |
|---|---|
| past tense | pinkie swore |
| past participle | pinkie sworn |
| -ing form | pinkie swearing |
Common combinations
- make a pinkie swear
- Let's make a pinkie swear about the surprise.
- seal with a pinkie swear
- They sealed the deal with a pinkie swear.
- pinkie swear on it
- I'll pinkie swear on it.
- break a pinkie swear
- Nobody wants to break a pinkie swear.
Synonyms and how they differ
- promise
- Promise is the general word and is not tied to the finger gesture.
- vow
- A vow is more solemn and formal than a casual pinkie swear.
- oath
- An oath is usually formal, legal or religious, so it is much more serious.
- cross my heart
- Cross my heart is another playful way to promise but uses a different gesture.
Word family
Commonly confused: pinkie swear or pinky promise?
pinkie swear vs pinky promise
A pinky promise is the same idea with different wording, not a different gesture.
Practice
Two friends hook their little fingers to promise to keep a secret. What are they doing?
Choose one answer.
Hooking little fingers to seal a promise is a pinkie swear. A toast involves raising glasses, and a contract involves signing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pinkie swear”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.