From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishvowvow1 /vaʊ/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 RRCa serious promise → oath Jim made a vow that he would find his wife’s killer.2 a religious promise that you will do something for God, the church etc a monk who had taken a vow of poverty3 → vowsCOLLOCATIONSverbsmake a vowI made a vow never to go near the place again.take a vow (=make a vow at a formal ceremony)Priests have to take a vow of obedience to the Catholic Church.keep a vow (=do as you promised)She kept her vow not to tell anyone about their affair.break a vow (=fail to do as you promised)She accused him of breaking his marriage vows.exchange vows (=make promises to each other as part of a wedding ceremony)They wanted to exchange vows before their family and friends.renew your vows (=have a second wedding ceremony to repeat your promises)Fifty couples celebrated their golden weddings and renewed their vows at a cathedral service in Chicago.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + vowa solemn vow (=a very serious vow, which you must keep)He made a solemn vow that he would do everything he could to help her.marriage/wedding vowsShe wrote her own marriage vows.a holy/sacred vowWhen we get married in church we are making sacred vows.phrasesa vow of silence/poverty/celibacy etcPeople close to him have finally broken their vow of silence.be bound by a vow (=to have promised seriously to do something)She told him she was bound by a vow not to tell any other person.
Examples from the Corpus
vow• She told him that she was bound by a vow not to tell any human being.• The novitiate over, they are permitted to make their first vows.• The exchanging of tokens was, like the exchanging of vows, not to be undertaken lightly.• His marriage to this parish was inviolable in its own sacred vows.• What's more, I had memories from many other lifetimes of taking vows of poverty.• Dole was clearly trying to avoid the trap in which former President Bush found himself after violating the tax vow.• This vow the Cid Campeador made.• After being released from his wedding vows, John joined the Friars Minor.vowvow2 ●○○ verb [transitive] 1 PROMISEto make a serious promise to yourself or someone else SYN promisevow to do something Supporters have vowed to continue the protest until Adams is released.vow (that) I vowed that I would never drink again.► see thesaurus at promise2 formal to make a religious promise that you will do something for God, the church etc→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
vow• Legco, the largely toothless legislature, has vowed not to authorise spending for new camps.• Daley vowed that the Police Department would be reformed.• But yesterday she vowed that the tragedy would not ruin their lives.• Cook died in 1940, vowing that time would vindicate him.• On the day she died, I vowed that whatever happened, I would keep you away from them.• Sugar producers hailed the vote while groups opposed to the program vowed they would keep trying to kill it.• Ben vowed to avenge his mother's death.• But a year ago, Putin came to power vowing to crack down on wayward regions.• And they vow to do it all without raising taxes.• City officials vowed to press ahead with the appointment process by interviewing the finalists and naming a chief Feb. 2.vow (that)• I vowed that I would never drink again.Origin vow1 (1200-1300) Old French vou, from Latin votum; → VOTE2 