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.
Committed to learning the language, Godoy took classes with teachers on top of the hours he dedicated to studying on his own for the last two years.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
Committed defence kept England at bay, with No 8 Ben Earl's try two minutes from time too little, too late for the visitors.
From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026
Committed soldiers have been fighting without rest for years, and unenthusiastic new draftees are increasingly going AWOL.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
Committed to being an incubator for emerging artists outside of the Hollywood studio system, the Sundance Institute’s labs and mentorship programs laid the ideal groundwork for a pipeline between the non-profit and the festival.
From Salon • Sep. 21, 2025
Committed as Violet was to hip development, even she couldn’t drink' the remaining malt—watery, warm and flattasting.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
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.
