v. promise to abstain from; "I have sworn off cigarettes altogether"

v. leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch; "The mother deserted her children"

v. formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure; "He retracted his earlier statements about his religion"; "She abjured her beliefs"

v. avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of

v. be earlier in time; go back further; "Stone tools precede bronze tools"

v. promise solemnly; take an oath