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promise

v. · n.
US //ˈpɹɑməs// UK //pɹˈɒmɪs// prom·ise
  1. 1 to give your word (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to tell someone that you will certainly do something or that something will happen.

    to commit to a specific course of action or outcome; often used ditransitively with an indirect object.

    Example

    He promised to call his mother as soon as he arrived at the hotel.

    Example

    The candidate promised to reform the tax system within the first hundred days of his administration, though skeptics questioned the feasibility of such a timeline.
    Pitfall
    I promise to doing it.
    I promise to do it.

    The verb 'promise' is followed by a to-infinitive, not a gerund (-ing form).

  2. 2 to show potential (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to give someone a reason to expect something good in the future.

    to provide grounds for expecting a particular, usually positive, outcome.

    Example

    The clear blue sky promised a beautiful day for the wedding.

    Example

    The early data from the clinical trials promised a significant breakthrough in the treatment of chronic respiratory conditions.
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  1. 3 a vow or assurance (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a statement that you will definitely do something.

    a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.

    Example

    She made a promise to herself to exercise every morning.

    Example

    The diplomat emphasized that a broken promise could irreparably damage the fragile trust between the two neighbouring nations.
  2. 4 potential for success (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    signs that someone or something will be successful in the future.

    indication of future excellence or success; often used with 'show' or 'full of'.

    Example

    The young pianist shows great promise and might become famous one day.

    Example

    Despite his lack of formal training, the apprentice showed such promise that the master craftsman offered him a full partnership.
  3. 5 computing placeholder (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a tool in computer coding that represents a result that is not ready yet.

    an object representing the eventual completion or failure of an asynchronous operation and its resulting value.

    Example

    The function returns a promise that resolves when the data finishes downloading.

    Example

    By chaining promises, the developer managed to handle multiple API requests without nesting callbacks into an unreadable structure.

    Usage

    Commonly used in JavaScript and other languages to handle tasks that take time, like loading data.
Origin

From Middle English promis, promisse, borrowed from Old French promesse, from Medieval Latin prōmissa, Latin prōmissum (“a promise”), feminine and neuter past participles of prōmittō (“I send forth, I say beforehand, I promise”), from pro (“forth”) + mittere (“to send”); see mission. Compare admit, commit, permit, etc. Displaced native ġehātan (“to promise”) and ġehāt (“a promise”).

Idioms1 entry

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