To file a legal complaint, affidavit, or warrant alleging or supporting a claim that one has committed some crime. I know that he is breaking the law, but I'm too nervous to go to the police station and swear out an affidavit against him. The woman swore out a complaint against her ex-husband, claiming that he had violated the terms of his restraining order. The police swore out a warrant against the CFO after evidence of his embezzlement emerged.