promise-v; 2 Senses

Sense Number 1: pledge or make a commitment

Examples:
He promised me one of his kittens.
He promised to give me one of his kittens.
Promise me that you won't tell.
Promise to not tell.
The government has promised that they'll reduce taxes.
The government has promised to reduce taxes.
Her parents promised her a new car if she passed her exams.
Her parents promised to buy her a new car if she passed her exams.
You promise?
Hey, you promised!
I'll look, but I can't promise you anything.
You'll like this movie, I promise you.

Mappings:
VerbNet: future_having-13.3,promise-37.13
FrameNet: Commitment
PropBank: promise.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1, 2

Sense Number 2: give grounds for expectation

Examples:
It promises to be an exciting match.
Those thunderclouds promise rain.
It is worth trying as an experiment at least because it promises well and costs little.
The results promised fame and glory.

Mappings:
VerbNet: NM
FrameNet: Omen
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 3, 4