dedicate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to set apart and consecrate to a deity or to a sacred purpose.
The ancient Greeks dedicated many shrines to Aphrodite.
-
to devote wholly and earnestly, as to some person or purpose.
He dedicated his life to fighting corruption.
- Synonyms:
- consecrate, pledge, commit
-
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.
-
(loosely) to inscribe a personal signature on (a book, drawing, etc., that is one's own work), usually with a salutation addressing the recipient.
-
to mark the official completion or opening of (a public building, monument, highway, etc.), usually by formal ceremonies.
-
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
-
(often foll by to) to devote (oneself, one's time, etc) wholly to a special purpose or cause; commit wholeheartedly or unreservedly
-
(foll by to) to address or inscribe (a book, artistic performance, etc) to a person, cause, etc as a token of affection or respect
-
(foll by to) to request or play (a record) on radio for another person as a greeting
-
to assign or allocate to a particular project, function, etc
-
to set apart for a deity or for sacred uses; consecrate
adjective
Synonym Usage
See devote.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
dedicateenoun
-
dedicatornoun
-
overdedicateverb (used with object)
-
prededicateverb (used with object)
-
rededicateverb (used with object)
-
dedicatoryadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dedicatesimple
-
dedicatessimple
-
have dedicatedperfect
-
has dedicatedperfect
-
am dedicatingprogressive
-
are dedicatingprogressive
-
is dedicatingprogressive
-
have been dedicatingperfect progressive
-
has been dedicatingperfect progressive
Past
-
dedicatedsimple
-
had dedicatedperfect
-
was dedicatingprogressive
-
were dedicatingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
By comparison, the partially reusable RLV C5 would dedicate about 74% of its mass to payload.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
I want to thank the brilliant No 10 staff and our country's extraordinary civil service, who dedicate their lives to public service.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
That means, she said, the company’s payroll per location is likely much less than at traditional dealers, which dedicate roughly half their expenses to employee wages and commissions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
"Even if this is a universal film, I want to dedicate this prize to all Iranians," Satrapi told AFP at the time.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
“This song is called ‘Ben,’ and I dedicate it to...Samantha and Dylan.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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
Emek dedicates February and March to focus on Coachella’s poster, creating radical variation throughout the years while sticking to a few guidelines: No people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
The 34-year-old is now launching a new ITV reality show called The Heat, but dedicates much of her time to investigating topics such as cosmetic surgery, adult entertainment and online trolling.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026
She dedicates the book to him, and all lovers: “Quand on aime, on a toujours vingt ans.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
“For which she will one day thank us when she dedicates her first book to the Marysville Free Public Library.”
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
The team on this project was uniquely dedicated to doing things with as much kindness and thoughtful support of Sophia as possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
SpaceX is dedicated to advancing space technology with the goal of enabling human life on other planets.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
It also cited Wellington's decision to close the dedicated Ministry for the Environment as a risk.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The site is a dedicated centre for disruptive innovation in net zero aviation and energy.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
North American Review dedicated thirty-five pages of a single issue to Dr. Kane’s chances of survival in the Arctic.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Hassan drew praise in Gaza after waving a Palestinian flag on the pitch following Egypt's victory over Australia and dedicating the win to the Palestinian people.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 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
He launched Atreides in 2019 and immediately bought SpaceX stock again, dedicating a quarter of the firm’s venture-capital capacity to the position, a person familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
I should be dedicating my life to solving the unsolvable problems of mathematics, like the Riemann hypothesis or the Hodge conjecture.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
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.
