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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
I used to work in the data-center industry, and I can say with confidence that the major fights over energy infrastructure aren’t happening in a congressional committee room.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
Starmer said he asked the national executive committee of the Labour Party to set out a timetable for a leadership contest, to be completed by the summer recess of the British Parliament.
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
The world’s foremost party planning committee, with the cachet to override branded venue names with generic, location-based names — Los Angeles Stadium instead of SoFi Stadium — on Google and Apple maps?
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
Bishop Rosemarie Mallett, a descendant of enslaved Africans, who would later chair Project Spire's oversight committee, found the findings deeply significant.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
“I have a Fall Ball committee meeting. You should see what Gregor does after school.”
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
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.
