Synonyms

commit

American

[kuh-mit] / kəˈmɪt /

verb (used with object)

to do; perform; perpetrate.

to commit murder; to commit an error.

Synonyms:

execute, effect
to pledge (oneself ) to a position on an issue or question; express (one's intention, feeling, etc.).

Asked if he was a candidate, he refused to commit himself.
to bind or obligate, as by pledge or assurance; pledge.

to commit oneself to a promise; to be committed to a course of action.
to consign for preservation.

to commit ideas to writing; to commit a poem to memory.
to give in trust or charge, especially for safekeeping; consign; commend: Every summer we were committed to babysitters and camp counselors.

to commit one's soul to God;
Every summer we were committed to babysitters and camp counselors.
to consign to custody.

to commit a delinquent to a juvenile detention center.
to place in a mental institution or hospital by or as if by legal authority.

He was committed by court order on the recommendation of two psychiatrists.
to deliver for treatment, disposal, etc.; relegate.

to commit a manuscript to the flames.
to send into a battle.

The commander has committed all his troops to the front lines.
Parliamentary Procedure. to refer (a bill or the like) to a committee for consideration.

verb (used without object)

to bind or obligate oneself, as by pledge or assurance; devote or engage oneself to a person or thing: If he hasn’t committed after eight years, he’s never going to marry you.

She is an athlete who commits to the highest standards.
If he hasn’t committed after eight years, he’s never going to marry you.

idioms

com·mit su·i·cide, to intentionally end one’s own life.

commit British

/ kəˈmɪt /

verb

to hand over, as for safekeeping; charge; entrust

to commit a child to the care of its aunt
to learn by heart; memorize
to confine officially or take into custody

to commit someone to prison
(usually passive) to pledge or align (oneself), as to a particular cause, action, or attitude

a committed radical
to order (forces) into action
to perform (a crime, error, etc); do; perpetrate
to surrender, esp for destruction

she committed the letter to the fire
to refer (a bill, etc) to a committee of a legislature

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of commit

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English committen, from Anglo-French committer or directly from Latin committere, equivalent to com- “with, together, completely” + mittere “to send, give over”; see origin at com-

Explanation

To commit is to fully dedicate yourself to something. To commit yourself to being the coolest kid on the beach means spending hours at the mall trying on trunks and flip-flops. Commit can also mean "perform an act" — often the kind that can get you in trouble. Just ask anyone who's committed theft, or arson, or vandalism. If you are committing another person, that means you are sending that person to an institution. Someone may be committed to prison, or to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

commit commits committed committing

King Charles said in a 2024 speech that leaders should commit to 'finding creative ways to right inequalities that endure'

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Exxon, Conoco and even some Trump allies such Harold Hamm’s Continental Resources and Jeff Hildebrand’s Hilcorp Energy have yet to commit to investing in Venezuela.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

"We are suffering for a crime that we did not commit," Lhazom said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

The cases add to a wave of more than three dozen lawsuits that allege chatbots including ChatGPT have led to harm for their users—or encouraged their users to commit acts of harm against others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

This was one of the many sayings he made me commit to memory.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

“I don’t believe him unless he commits to an actual debate. Invitations are on the table for dates and places,” Hilton said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

"Signing the Artemis Accords costs nothing and commits us to nothing beyond principles we already stand for," said Mullan.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

But read carefully, the MOU commits Iran to charging no tolls “for 60 days only” and empowers it “to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait” in dialogue with Oman.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

"Without a rapid shift that commits to climate adaptation and carbon neutrality, these phenomena risk becoming a long‑term structural drag on the economy," said Hazem Krichene, a climate and sustainability economist at Allianz.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

I mean, anybody who commits this kind of crime probably has gone through something in their lives.

From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones

Uber and Lyft have said they are committed to working with the newly formed union and bargaining in good faith.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Our prosecutors are committed to holding her fully accountable, including seeking a federal prison sentence.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Only Norway has so far committed to the fund although officials say Canada is likely to do so soon, European officials say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

A taxable-equivalent yield of more than 8% is of course very attractive for an income-seeking investor who can remain committed for the long term.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Though Penkovsky barely knew his father, and was a committed Communist, suspicion trailed him his whole life.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

However at this stage the RFU has stopped short of committing to Borthwick on a long-term basis, unlike Ireland, who have signed their head coach Andy Farrell up to 2031.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

The contrast of O'Shea damning England's performances in one breath, while committing more time and money to the man in charge of them will be curious to many.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

The development is not too surprising considering McVay and his assistants were not committing to Donald playing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

To quote a line from the 1995 movie, “Clueless,” however, always take a lap before committing to a location.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Maybe that was shame on her face, but Esperanza did not seem all that interested in committing to the point she’d tried to make.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023