committed
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of committed
First recorded in 1840–45; commit ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
If you're committed to something, you're pledged or obligated to do it. If you’ve already jumped out of the plane, you’re committed to your skydive — there’s no turning back! When you're committed to a partner as you are in a marriage or a domestic partnership, it means that you're associated with them exclusively and not with anyone else. Often during wedding ceremonies or vow renewals, you will hear the parties recite a phrase confirming that they are committed to each other, such as "I take you...to have and to hold...to love and to cherish, from this day forward, until death do us part."
Vocabulary lists containing committed
Bush's Address on 9/11
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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.
It was during his on-court interview afterward, however, that Shelton committed a bit of a faux pas while discussing the match that ended later than any other in tournament history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
And Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg recently committed to “building personal superintelligence for everyone.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The university said in a statement it can prove otherwise and “is committed to ensuring that every student is admitted based on their merit, and not on their race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
"The way this deed was committed makes this case unusual, as well as the manner of the confession," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Barred by law from invoking race explicitly, those committed to racial hierarchy were forced to search for new means of achieving their goals according to the new rules of American democracy.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
