commitment

American  

[kuh-mit-muhnt] / kəˈmɪt mənt /

noun

• commitments
  plural

1. 

   the act of committing.

2. the state of being committed.

3. the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.

4. a pledge or promise; obligation.

   We have made a commitment to pay our bills on time.

5. dedication; allegiance.

   They have a sincere commitment to religion.

6. perpetration or commission, as of a crime.

7. consignment, as to prison.

8. confinement to a mental institution or hospital.

   The psychiatrist recommended commitment.

9. an order, as by a court or judge, confining a person to a mental institution or hospital.

10. Law. a written order of a court directing that someone be confined in prison; mittimus.

11. Parliamentary Procedure. the act of referring or entrusting to a committee for consideration.

12. Stock Exchange.

    1. an agreement to buy or sell securities.

    2. a sale or purchase of securities.

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commitment British  

/ kəˈmɪtmənt /

noun

1. the act of committing or pledging

2. the state of being committed or pledged

3. an obligation, promise, etc that restricts one's freedom of action

4. the referral of a bill to a committee or legislature

5. Also called (esp formerly): mittimus. law a written order of a court directing that a person be imprisoned

6. the official consignment of a person to a mental hospital or prison

7. commission or perpetration, esp of a crime

8. a future financial obligation or contingent liability

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncommitment
  noun
• self-commitment
  noun
• precommitment
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• commitments
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of commitment

First recorded in 1605–15; commit + -ment

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commitment commitments

“You combine the talent and commitment of what he has and you get what we just saw this year,” Halpert said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

“Our commitment is to execute projects safely, on time, on budget and with a clear focus on shareholder value.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

Moerdler said that once investors see OpenAI’s IPO filing, concerns over this commitment will become less of a mystery.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2026

"These were difficult decisions which sought to balance our commitment to children and young people alongside the requirement to live within the funding allocated for the year," the EA said.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

Though officially retired, Leah’s presence at séances was missed by her former clients; still her commitment to the cause continued.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The company ended March with about $207 billion of deployable capital, including $5.4 billion of liquidity, $86.9 billion of cash and undrawn credit lines, and $114.3 billion of uncalled private fund commitments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

Since a trade agreement struck a year ago in the South Korean city of Busan, Beijing has fallen short of fulfilling its commitments on agricultural purchases and rare earth exports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

On top of that, Brady's commitments also include him being a lead NFL analyst for Fox Sports.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

Washington should use federal purchasing commitments to give domestic manufacturers confidence to invest.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

“Now, I’m going to ask all of you to rise and go into the church and take a seat on the front bench,” he said, edging on to more definite commitments.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

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Related Words

• engagement
• guarantee
• need
• pledge
• promise
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