pledge

American  

[plej] / plɛdʒ /

noun

• pledges
  plural

1. a solemn promise or agreement to do or refrain from doing something.

   a pledge of aid;

   a pledge not to wage war.

2. something delivered as security for the payment of a debt or fulfillment of a promise, and subject to forfeiture on failure to pay or fulfill the promise.

   Synonyms:

   guaranty, surety, warranty

3. the state of being given or held as security.

   to put a thing in pledge.

4. Law.

   1. the act of delivering goods, property, etc., to another for security.

   2. the resulting legal relationship.

5. something given or regarded as a security.

6. a person accepted for membership in a club, fraternity, or sorority, but not yet formally approved.

7. an assurance of support or goodwill conveyed by drinking a person's health; a toast.

8. Obsolete.

   1. a hostage.

   2. a person who becomes bail or surety for another.

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verb (used with object)

• pledges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pledged,
  past participle,  past
• pledging
  present participle

1. to bind by or as if by a pledge.

   to pledge hearers to secrecy.

2. to promise solemnly.

   to pledge one's support.

3. to give or deposit as a pledge; pawn.

4. to stake, as one's honor.

5. to secure by a pledge; give a pledge for.

6. to accept as a pledge for club, fraternity, or sorority membership.

7. to drink a health or toast to.

verb (used without object)

• pledges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pledged,
  past participle,  past
• pledging
  present participle

1. to make or give a pledge.

   to pledge for someone.

2. to drink a pledge; toast someone's health, success, etc.

idioms

1. take the pledge, to make a solemn, formal vow to abstain from intoxicating drink.

pledge British  

/ plɛdʒ /

noun

1. a formal or solemn promise or agreement, esp to do or refrain from doing something

2. 1. collateral for the payment of a debt or the performance of an obligation

   2. the condition of being collateral (esp in the phrase in pledge )

3. a sign, token, or indication

   the gift is a pledge of their sincerity

4. an assurance of support or goodwill, conveyed by drinking to a person, cause, etc; toast

   we drank a pledge to their success

5. a person who binds himself, as by becoming bail or surety for another

6. to make a vow to abstain from alcoholic drink

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verb

1. to promise formally or solemnly

   he pledged allegiance

2. (tr) to bind or secure by or as if by a pledge

   they were pledged to secrecy

3. to give, deposit, or offer (one's word, freedom, property, etc) as a guarantee, as for the repayment of a loan

4. to drink a toast to (a person, cause, etc)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pledger
  noun
• quasi-pledge
  verb
• interpledge
  verb (used with object)
• prepledge
  verb (used with object)
• repledge
  verb (used with object)
• pledgable
  adjective
• pledgeable
  adjective
• pledgeless
  adjective
• unpledged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pledges
  plural

Participles

• pledging
  present
• pledged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pledge
  simple
• pledges
  simple
• have pledged
  perfect
• has pledged
  perfect
• am pledging
  progressive
• are pledging
  progressive
• is pledging
  progressive
• have been pledging
  perfect progressive
• has been pledging
  perfect progressive

Past

• pledged
  simple
• had pledged
  perfect
• was pledging
  progressive
• were pledging
  progressive
• had been pledging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pledge
  simple
• will have pledged
  perfect
• will be pledging
  progressive
• will have been pledging
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of pledge

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English plege, from Anglo-French, from early Medieval Latin plebium, plevium, noun derivative of plebīre “to pledge,” from Germanic; compare Old English plēon “to risk,” German pflegen “to look after”; cf. plight ²

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Explanation

A pledge is basically very serious formal promise. You can pledge allegiance to your country, you can pledge to keep a secret, and you can pledge a sum of money to a cause. Pledge can be used as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it can be a solemn promise you've made. Or even the person who makes that promise, like the freshman pledges who take an oath to join a fraternity in college. As a verb, it describes the act of promising. “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people,” vowed Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pledge pledges pledged pledging

Australia will provide Fiji with Bluebottle drones and training, under a Au$600 million pledge made to Pacific Island countries last month to tackle organised crime at sea, officials said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Support what we do, enjoy member perks, and join the growing community of Plus members who have signed up during Slate’s 30th anniversary pledge drive!

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

From there it was a short leap for the word to represent a pledge or a person’s word of honor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

He said there should be "proper accountability mechanisms" to hold ministers who breach the pledge of office to account.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

When one $2,000 pledge was rejected, Anthony offered her life insurance to cover the difference.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

But taken together, government pledges would cover only 27 percent of land and inland waters by the end of this decade if enacted in full.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

What about the line where she pledges to "burn the wedding dress and run away"?

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Turkey is curating an "action agenda" alongside the negotiations that encourages countries to support non-binding pledges on issues from artificial intelligence to waste management.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

In one food group I follow, posts about AI restaurant marketing increasingly read like miniature boycott pledges.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

“Little by litde, were calling his life force out of the pit. With every recruit who pledges our cause, another small piece appears—” “That’s disgusting!”

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

Members have pledged to expedite the remaining releases of around 100 million barrels, including around 20 million barrels of diesel, the IEA said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

“Did I betray my oath? I pledged to defend freedom, independence, and the constitutional order,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The BBC had initially pledged to build the show a new studio in the Tea Factory, the corporation's new hub in Digbeth, central Birmingham.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

The leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party, which has millions of social media followers, have pledged to continue their protests until Kumar steps down.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

“Your baron has pledged fifty men from this district, one from each family,” he said, and then named the family names.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

They are also offering communities millions in local investments such as free community college and energy efficiency upgrades, and in some cases, pledging to give residents checks if data centers are built.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

With voter anxiety growing, the heads of major AI companies signed a White House accord on September 29 pledging independent audits and board-level oversight of cutting-edge models.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Bondholders revolted, signing a cooperation agreement pledging to act in unison and retaining law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and financial adviser Houlihan Lokey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

He said he had heard the "calls for action", pledging he would "ensure that former industrial land is made safe".

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Charlie O’Brien stares at me for a very long time, his hand spread on his chest as though he were pledging an oath.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

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Related Words

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