Meaning & use
swear jar
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableinformal
A container where people put money each time they swear, often to discourage bad language.
Grammar: Countable: use an or the before it, and add -s for more than one.
Patterns
- put money in the swear jar
- a swear jar at work
Every time Dad says a rude word, he has to put a dollar in the swear jar.
The office keeps a swear jar on the kitchen counter.
By Friday the swear jar was full of coins.
nouncountablefigurativehumorous
A humorous way of talking about a rule or habit that fines people for rude language.
Grammar: Countable and figurative; often used with keep or start.
Patterns
- keep a swear jar
- start a swear jar
They keep a swear jar during family game nights.
We started a swear jar to make the meetings less rude.
Word forms
| plural | swear jars |
|---|
Common combinations
- put money in the swear jar
- He had to put money in the swear jar after dropping his phone.
- keep a swear jar
- My roommates keep a swear jar in the living room.
- a swear jar at work
- There is a swear jar at work, and the money goes to charity.
- empty the swear jar
- At the end of the month we empty the swear jar and buy pizza.
Synonyms and how they differ
- swearing jar
- A less common variant with the same meaning; swear jar is the standard phrase.
- fine box
- A more general term for a box collecting fines, not specifically for bad language.
Word family
- swear verb
- To use rude or offensive language.
- swearing noun
- The act of using rude or offensive language.
Commonly confused: swear jar or swear word?
swear jar vs swear word
A swear word is the rude word itself, while a swear jar is the container that collects money when someone uses one.
Practice
What does a "swear jar" do?
Choose one answer.
A swear jar collects money as a penalty for swearing. The other options describe unrelated objects or actions, and none matches the fixed meaning of the phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “swear jar”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.