commitment
Americannoun
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commitments
plural
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the act of committing.
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the state of being committed.
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the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.
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a pledge or promise; obligation.
We have made a commitment to pay our bills on time.
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They have a sincere commitment to religion.
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perpetration or commission, as of a crime.
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consignment, as to prison.
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confinement to a mental institution or hospital.
The psychiatrist recommended commitment.
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an order, as by a court or judge, confining a person to a mental institution or hospital.
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Law. a written order of a court directing that someone be confined in prison; mittimus.
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Parliamentary Procedure. the act of referring or entrusting to a committee for consideration.
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Stock Exchange.
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an agreement to buy or sell securities.
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a sale or purchase of securities.
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noun
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the act of committing or pledging
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the state of being committed or pledged
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an obligation, promise, etc that restricts one's freedom of action
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the referral of a bill to a committee or legislature
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Also called (esp formerly): mittimus. law a written order of a court directing that a person be imprisoned
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the official consignment of a person to a mental hospital or prison
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commission or perpetration, esp of a crime
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a future financial obligation or contingent liability
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of commitment
Explanation
Making a commitment involves dedicating yourself to something, like a person or a cause. Before you make a commitment, think carefully. A commitment obligates you to do something. Some commitments are large, like marriage. When you take a job, you're making a commitment to show up and do the job well, and your employer makes a commitment to pay you. There are smaller commitments too. If you said you'd meet a friend at six, that's a commitment — show up or your friend will be mad. You also can speak of commitment as a quality. Staying after school for a study group shows your commitment to good grades.
Vocabulary lists containing commitment
Starting Your New Life: Inspiring Words from Commencement Speeches
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"Creativity at Work" and "The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind"
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History is made in PA: Clinton's DNC Acceptance Speech
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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:
LA28 spokesperson Jacie Prieto Lopez, in a statement, said the newly approved agreement delivers on the committee’s commitment to “execute a safe, secure and fiscally responsible Games that benefit Los Angeles for decades to come.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
"Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Tokyo’s commitment to reintroducing normal economic policies may be only partial, however.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The commitment marks a significant development in the debate around whether advanced AI is too dangerous to create on an open-source basis and should be developed only within labs that keep its code tightly held.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Once I made the mental commitment to share my story, more and more speaking opportunities came my way.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
With competing commitments, however, most of the drivers reluctantly bow out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Sunderland will be playing in Europe this season for the first time in 53 years, with at least eight games in the Europa League on top of their usual domestic commitments.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
But he said he did not want to "at this point, start making commitments".
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“We have yet to see the consumer and corporate spending that would justify commitments on that scale,” Kemp said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
In the state system, less than 3 percent of new court commitments to state prison typically involve people convicted of homicide.
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.
