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.
The suspension was announced Monday after the ICC’s governing body voted, following a long U.N. investigation, that Mr. Khan had committed serious misconduct.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman said after last month's explosion that the agency is "committed to helping the Blue team recover."
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
"The minister has committed to having construction work suspended and to ensuring that a full environmental impact assessment is carried out," they said.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
In response, the city said it was committed to expanding affordable housing and has plans in place to do so.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
I hear a rustle of paper in the background and realize he’s checking the notes we made; he won’t have the names committed to memory the way I do.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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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.