dedicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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dedicates,
present (3rd person singular)
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dedicated,
past participle, past
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dedicating
present participle
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to set apart and consecrate to a deity or to a sacred purpose.
The ancient Greeks dedicated many shrines to Aphrodite.
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to devote wholly and earnestly, as to some person or purpose.
He dedicated his life to fighting corruption.
- Synonyms:
- consecrate, pledge, commit
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to offer formally (a book, piece of music, etc.) to a person, cause, or the like in testimony of affection or respect, as on a prefatory page.
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(loosely) to inscribe a personal signature on (a book, drawing, etc., that is one's own work), usually with a salutation addressing the recipient.
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to mark the official completion or opening of (a public building, monument, highway, etc.), usually by formal ceremonies.
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to set aside for or assign to a specific function, task, or purpose.
The county health agency has dedicated one inspector to monitor conditions in nursing homes.
adjective
verb
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(often foll by to) to devote (oneself, one's time, etc) wholly to a special purpose or cause; commit wholeheartedly or unreservedly
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(foll by to) to address or inscribe (a book, artistic performance, etc) to a person, cause, etc as a token of affection or respect
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(foll by to) to request or play (a record) on radio for another person as a greeting
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to assign or allocate to a particular project, function, etc
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to set apart for a deity or for sacred uses; consecrate
adjective
Synonym Usage
See devote.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dedicateenoun
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dedicatornoun
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overdedicateverb (used with object)
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prededicateverb (used with object)
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rededicateverb (used with object)
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dedicatoryadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dedicatesimple
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dedicatessimple
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have dedicatedperfect
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has dedicatedperfect
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am dedicatingprogressive
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are dedicatingprogressive
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is dedicatingprogressive
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have been dedicatingperfect progressive
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has been dedicatingperfect progressive
Past
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dedicatedsimple
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had dedicatedperfect
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was dedicatingprogressive
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were dedicatingprogressive
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had been dedicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dedicate
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English (verb and adjective) from Latin dēdicātus, past participle of dēdicāre “to declare, devote,” equivalent to dē- “from, away, out of” + dicāre “to indicate, consecrate,” akin to dīcere “to say, speak”; see de-, dictate)
Explanation
To dedicate is to assign, to commit or to give over. If you dedicate a song you’ve written to a friend, it means the song belongs to them. If you dedicate yourself to a project, it means you give yourself to it. Things you may be dedicated to include your family, improving your local park, or attempting to break the world record for making the world's biggest rubber band ball. A dedicated resource is one committed to a specific mission, such as the computer room at your school being dedicated, or given over, to newspaper production every Tuesday afternoon.
Vocabulary lists containing dedicate
List 1
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Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
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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.
See Examples For:
The proposed project would dedicate more than 55,900 square feet to open space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
I learned instead that ballet is grueling, often painful work made to look effortless by the incredible professional dancers who dedicate their lives to the art form.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The label said Laforteza has been receiving "the utmost support" and consulting medical professionals, and has been advised to dedicate time to "extended rest and ongoing care to ensure a full recovery".
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
I’m terrible at it, so I have to dedicate my Monday to sit down and do the calendar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
It was decided that she wouldn’t enroll at Kinloch until after the mission so she could dedicate herself to getting ready full-time.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
The lobbying contract dedicates a section to the minerals sector -- a global strategic priority for Trump's administration -- instructing the firm to "support efforts to identify opportunities for cooperation".
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Tedesco dedicates nearly every moment of his trips to maintaining or drumming up business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "No one who dedicates themselves to a career in midwifery should be left in limbo when their skills are so urgently needed to rebuild the NHS."
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
One fan I spoke to, Carmelo Hernandez, dedicates hours to handcrafting ceramic dinosaur sculptures.
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2026
He bows his head, summons real tears, and dedicates the performance to Lucinda, whose great and absolute selflessness is the only reason we are able to continue in the face of our loss.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Treasury says the armed forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, use dedicated companies and shadow-fleet networks to sell crude and supplement their budgets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Cybersecurity support to help countries protect themselves from hacking has been a priority area in recent years, with dedicated operations in Moldova and Armenia.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
The European Society of Cardiology has issued its first guidelines dedicated to managing cardiovascular disease alongside chronic kidney disease, developed in partnership with the European Renal Association.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
The front page of the Daily Star is dedicated to a confession from Declan Donnelly, who said he once forgot to pay for an egg and bacon sandwich from Marks & Spencer.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Conspicuously absent from this list was the NAACP, the country’s dominant civil rights organization since 1909, but still dedicated to the slower tactic of filing legal challenges to segregation.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Appearing as Sunday's headline act, the 82-year-old US soul star sang the track, which included lyrics like: "Joy, joy, joy, freedom, always be you", after dedicating it to the audience.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
That means dedicating less mindshare to big software licensing deals and more to consumption-based software deals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
On the album Hall can be heard dedicating Friday Night, Saturday Morning to The Parsons Nose, a nod to the popular local chip shop where the band had been photographed early in their career.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Hollywood star Josh Duhamel appears to be parting ways with his life in Los Angeles and dedicating himself to living full-time at his off-grid Minnesota cabin after listing his longtime California home for $2.99 million.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
What about dedicating my life to Jesus and all that?
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
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.
