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
Related Words
See devote.
Other Word Forms
- dedicatee noun
- dedicator noun
- dedicatory adjective
- overdedicate verb (used with object)
- prededicate verb (used with object)
- rededicate verb (used with object)
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”; de-, dictate )
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.
Sir Brian's recommendations include appointing a dedicated criminal justice adviser working directly to the prime minister in the heart of government to oversee efficiency reforms to the courts, prisons, prosecutors and police.
From BBC
In his acceptance speech for album of the year, he spoke mostly in Spanish as he dedicated his win to “all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country to follow their dreams.”
As a dedicated healthcare worker and a member of our SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West’s statewide executive board, I was proud to vote “Yes” that our union should sponsor the proposal to protect our patients.
If it was difficult for me, a physician with a dedicated spouse, to get diagnosed in time, imagine how hard it can be for others.
Green-Wood plans to house the vessels used for natural organic reduction in a dedicated building large enough to accommodate as many as 40 of them, said Joshi, the cemetery president.
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.
