commit

American  

[kuh-mit] / kəˈmɪt /

verb (used with object)

commits, present (3rd person singular) committed, past participle, past committing present participle

1. to do; perform; perpetrate.

   to commit murder; to commit an error.

   Synonyms:

   execute, effect

2. 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.

3. to bind or obligate, as by pledge or assurance; pledge.

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

4. to consign for preservation.

   to commit ideas to writing; to commit a poem to memory.

5. 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.

6. to consign to custody.

   to commit a delinquent to a juvenile detention center.

7. 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.

8. to deliver for treatment, disposal, etc.; relegate.

   to commit a manuscript to the flames.

9. to send into a battle.

   The commander has committed all his troops to the front lines.

10. Parliamentary Procedure. to refer (a bill or the like) to a committee for consideration.

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verb (used without object)

commits, present (3rd person singular) committed, past participle, past committing present participle

1. 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

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

commit British  

/ kəˈmɪt /

verb

1. to hand over, as for safekeeping; charge; entrust

   to commit a child to the care of its aunt

2. to learn by heart; memorize

3. to confine officially or take into custody

   to commit someone to prison

4. (usually passive) to pledge or align (oneself), as to a particular cause, action, or attitude

   a committed radical

5. to order (forces) into action

6. to perform (a crime, error, etc); do; perpetrate

7. to surrender, esp for destruction

   she committed the letter to the fire

8. to refer (a bill, etc) to a committee of a legislature

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• committer
  noun
• uncommit
  verb
• precommit
  verb (used with object)
• committable
  adjective
• noncommitted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• committing
  present
• committed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• commit
  simple
• commits
  simple
• have committed
  perfect
• has committed
  perfect
• am committing
  progressive
• are committing
  progressive
• is committing
  progressive
• have been committing
  perfect progressive
• has been committing
  perfect progressive

Past

• committed
  simple
• had committed
  perfect
• was committing
  progressive
• were committing
  progressive
• had been committing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will commit
  simple
• will have committed
  perfect
• will be committing
  progressive
• will have been committing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commit commits committed committing

Looking on in street clothes was 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive tackle Lucas Rhoa, a Texas commit who can’t wait to throw his weight around when the pads come on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

One of the best players in California and the nation, Cathedral Catholic’s Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, a USC commit, got to show off his speed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Can he still commit to the grind, the unseen nightmare of practice and prep and all those little details you need to get yourself through a best-of-five set tournament?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

If the goalkeeper refuses to commit early, the penalty taker is forced into a late decision while taking his eyes off the ball at precisely the wrong moment, increasing the margin for error.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Galileo accepted, even though the increase in salary would only take effect from the following year, and even though it would commit him to burdensome teaching duties.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Deutch is perfect casting for plucky Gail, who commits to bagging Hamm with such gumption that she jumps on a hotel mattress like a little kid.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Her sister commits her to a mental institution.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

It will not be available to any athlete who commits an anti-doping violation or violates the IOC code of ethics, the conditions of participation, or the Olympic Charter.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Nevertheless, Head fully commits to his character’s self-loathing, which he endures to shield his daughter from the nastiness of their dystopian surroundings.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

The belief in parental power is manifest in the first official act a parent commits: giving the baby a name.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

He also raised revenue and EPS estimates, updating his models based on committed revenues from new business model contracts.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

The footage was released by Northern Territory police ahead of the 25th anniversary of his disappearance, with the force saying it "remains committed to bringing this investigation to its fullest conclusion".

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

A Domani spokeswoman said the firm “remains committed to maintaining the highest professional standards and providing independent, code-compliant special inspection services.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

"We have declined to initiate a criminal investigation", the spokeswoman told AFP, adding there was not "sufficient" indication a crime had been committed.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

People who worry about seeming sufficiently committed to medicine probably aren’t sufficiently committed to medicine.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

So, committing to a delivery change last April wasn’t all that intimidating.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

A prior warning by the Treasury Department directed banks to be on the lookout for employers that may be committing payroll fraud by employing undocumented immigrants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Edible Arrangements’ strawberry and banana cones offer the fun of chocolate-dipped fruit without committing to one of the brand’s elaborate arrangements.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Burnham has pledged fiscal discipline and to reduce the country's ballooning welfare bill, having already sought to calm markets by committing to the government's current borrowing limits.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Because he wasn’t committing a crime that afternoon.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Related Words

• allocate
• charge
• engage
• give
• hold
• invest
• offer
• promise
• send