commit

American  

[kuh-mit] / kəˈmɪt /

verb (used with object)

committed, committing

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)

committed, committing

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

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

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

SpaceX isn’t yet willing to commit to keeping the deal in place for that long, according to CEO Elon Musk.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

AI, which makes so many things easier, is also helping criminals commit cybercrime.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

"If we're going to commit to prosecuting someone who's degraded the landscape, then we should make sure that they atone by monitoring that landscape sufficiently afterwards."

From BBC • May 26, 2026

“We’re basically being enslaved by them,” Mr. Rinderknecht said when asked by federal investigators why someone might commit arson in the Palisades.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

Those who had meaningful economic and social opportunities were unlikely to commit crimes regardless of the penalty, while those who went to prison were far more likely to commit crimes again in the future.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

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