committee
Americannoun
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a person or group of persons elected or appointed to perform some service or function, as to investigate, report on, or act upon a particular matter.
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Law. an individual to whom the care of a person or a person's estate is committed.
noun
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a group of people chosen or appointed to perform a specified service or function
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(formerly) a person to whom the care of a mentally incompetent person or his property was entrusted by a court See also receiver
Grammar
See collective noun.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of committee
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Anglo-French; see commit, -ee
Explanation
A committee is a group of people who come together to work on a project. Members of a committee commit their efforts to accomplishing a particular task, which can be anything from throwing a party to ending a war. You could join the Committee to Protect Groundhogs, Bumblebees and Chickadees (yes, there really is one), or you might aspire to a committee that debates questions of national importance. Committees are often subgroups of larger bodies, and the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Agriculture, which focuses on issues in the farming and poultry industries, is a good example. Committee members become experts on issues in agriculture and the group can then make informed decisions efficiently.
Vocabulary lists containing committee
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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The Articles of Confederation (1777)
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List 1
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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.
Senate committee last month, they have not been sufficiently scrutinized as a basis for monetary policy.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
At Blackstone, he worked on deals including a $200 million investment in the shoe company Crocs and was known for turning investment committee meetings into something like mock trials.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
It ordered that the independent panel's report be referred to an impeachment committee.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
It added that its licensing committee had agreed cake sheds should be covered by it, because of the food safety and hygiene implications, monitoring, potential annoyance to neighbours and to be fair to existing traders.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
The day he returned home—a week after his seventieth birthday—a little committee paid us a visit.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
