commit

[ kuh-mit ]

/ kəˈmɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR commit ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), com·mit·ted, com·mit·ting.

to give in trust or charge; consign.

to consign for preservation: to commit ideas to writing; to commit a poem to memory.

to pledge (oneself) to a position on an issue or question; express (one's intention, feeling, etc.): Asked if he was a candidate, he refused to commit himself.

to bind or obligate, as by pledge or assurance; pledge: to commit oneself to a promise; to be committed to a course of action.

to entrust, especially for safekeeping; commend: to commit one's soul to God.

to do; perform; perpetrate: to commit murder; to commit an error.

to consign to custody: to commit a delinquent to a reformatory.

to place in a mental institution or hospital by or as if by legal authority: He was committed on the certificate of two psychiatrists.

to deliver for treatment, disposal, etc.; relegate: to commit a manuscript to the flames.

to send into a battle: The commander has committed all his troops to the front lines.

Parliamentary Procedure. to refer (a bill or the like) to a committee for consideration.

verb (used without object), com·mit·ted, com·mit·ting.

to pledge or engage oneself: an athlete who commits to the highest standards.

QUIZZES

Fend Off Sciolism With This Word Of The Day Quiz

Are you the Cinderella of this week’s quiz? Test your memory on the words and definitions from March 23–29.

Question 1 of 7

schlep

to say or do hesitantly or awkwardly

to fold or wind around something

to carry; lug

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of commit

1350–1400; Middle English committen (< Anglo-French committer) < Latin committere, equivalent to com- com- + mittere to send, give over

SYNONYMS FOR commit

6 carry out, effect, execute.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR commit ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM commit

com·mit·ta·ble, adjectivecom·mit·ter, nounnon·com·mit·ted, adjectivepre·com·mit, verb (used with object), pre·com·mit·ted, pre·com·mit·ting.

self-com·mit·ting, adjectiveun·com·mit, verb, un·com·mit·ted, un·com·mit·ting.un·com·mit·ting, adjectivewell-com·mit·ted, adjective

Words nearby commit

commissural cheilitis, commissural fiber, commissure, commissure of cerebral hemispheres, commissurotomy, commit, commit to memory, commitment, commitment ceremony, commitment fee, committal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for committing

A new reality series spotlights the extent people will go to impress a crush—from pretending to be deaf to committing theft.
‘My Crazy Love’ Reveals the Craziest Lies People Tell for Love|Kevin Fallon|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
La Barbie videotaped himself in the act of committing atrocities and mailed the evidence to The Dallas Morning News.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali|Jason McGahan|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In this other video, 29-year-old Crawford is not committing an atrocity such as might be expected of ISIS.
ISIS Has a Bigger Coalition Than We Do|Michael Daly|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Keen on enjoying her youth, Reign has little interest in committing right now.
Swipe Right For Sex: Mixxxer Is Tinder for the Porn Star Set|Aurora Snow|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

During his spring semester at Duke University, senior Lewis McLeod was expelled for committing a sexual assault.
The College Bro’s Burden: Consent and Assault Cast a Shadow on Sexy Times|Amy Zimmerman|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He does not pretend to be just, while he is committing, or winking at, the most intolerable injustices.
God and Mr. Wells|William Archer
Amidon could now draw checks in the name of Brassfield with no more than a dim sense of committing forgery.
Double Trouble|Herbert Quick
What but fear of the law restrains many men from committing crimes?
Rural Rides|William Cobbett
I had already become impatient and saw that I was on the point of committing an indiscretion.
Friars and Filipinos|Jose Rizal
Among these latter, "one must be purified after committing such a sacrilege."
The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life|Emile Durkheim

British Dictionary definitions for committing

commit

/ (kəˈmɪt) /

verb -mits, -mitting or -mitted (tr)

to hand over, as for safekeeping; charge; entrustto commit a child to the care of its aunt

commit to memory to learn by heart; memorize

to confine officially or take into custodyto commit someone to prison

(usually passive) to pledge or align (oneself), as to a particular cause, action, or attitudea committed radical

to order (forces) into action

to perform (a crime, error, etc); do; perpetrate

to surrender, esp for destructionshe committed the letter to the fire

to refer (a bill, etc) to a committee of a legislature

Derived forms of commit

committable, adjectivecommitter, noun

Word Origin for commit

C14: from Latin committere to join, from com- together + mittere to put, send

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for committing

commit

[ kə-mĭt′ ]

v.

To place officially in confinement or custody, as in a mental health facility.

commit

verb (used with object), com·mit·ted, com·mit·ting.

verb (used without object), com·mit·ted, com·mit·ting.

QUIZZES

Origin of commit

SYNONYMS FOR commit

OTHER WORDS FROM commit

Words nearby commit

Words related to committing

Example sentences from the Web for committing

British Dictionary definitions for committing

verb -mits, -mitting or -mitted (tr)

Derived forms of commit

Word Origin for commit

Medical definitions for committing

v.