dedicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
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
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
"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
I met his nice wife, Mary, to whom I dedicate this book.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
"The worst that could happen is that we lose Omar so he dedicates himself to politics," the official said.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Tedesco dedicates nearly every moment of his trips to maintaining or drumming up business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
The Dudamel love fest arrives as the Bowl dedicates its iconic stage to John Williams in celebration of the composer’s decades-long relationship with the venue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
This sets the tone for the rest of the address, which he dedicates to making clear his commitment to free trade and the dangers of high tariffs.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2025
“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
Live, Exposition Park, Long Beach, Inglewood and Carson, will have dedicated areas for pin trading, sport trials, entertainment zones and sponsorship activations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Religious arguments are a periodic feature of comments on several dozen Facebook groups dedicated to opposing data center development.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
One executive raised the possibility of introducing a flat tax dedicated to narrowing the country’s deficit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Researchers now plan to test the proposed process more directly through dedicated aircraft campaigns.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
What standing could such dedicated pacifists enjoy among veterans of the Revolution, who, as Jackson put it, “at the risk of their lives and fortunes, secured to the community their liberty and property?”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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
Software providers are dedicating more resources to this puzzle, and some are initiating new roles to meet the task at hand.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
James last week said athletes who are still dedicating themselves to the craft and giving to the sport shouldn’t be expected to retire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The monastery, which includes one of the oldest major churches in Christianity, was built around a column that Saint Simeon sat on for years, dedicating his life to prayer.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
“I am personally dedicating the vast resources of Sinclair Scientifica to that fight,” he continued.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
