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
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Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
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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:
For example, if the government decided to impose a tax on stock sales and dedicate a portion of estate-tax revenues toward Social Security, a given person might not be affected by both those measures.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
So, adding ‘The Reason’ and ‘Is This Love’ into the set was a big thing and letting it dedicate to love that is sustaining and getting through it, the highs and the lows,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Although college programs dedicate countless man-hours to cracking any secret in their opponents’ plans, turning the magnifying glass toward their own habits is a far greater challenge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
They will also dedicate their next home Championship match, against QPR on 9 October, to Miklosko, who made 57 league appearances for QPR between 1998 and 2001 before retiring.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
I plan to dedicate all of it to this endeavor.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
Sporting a baseball cap and brandishing his smartphone like a weapon, Mordechai David dedicates his time to filming people against their will.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Tedesco dedicates nearly every moment of his trips to maintaining or drumming up business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
One fan I spoke to, Carmelo Hernandez, dedicates hours to handcrafting ceramic dinosaur sculptures.
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2026
"Make sure you listen because everyone dedicates enough time to you," he says.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 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
Both Samsung and Google pack dedicated triple-camera setups or ultra-high megapixel sensors into their foldables, whereas Apple makes modest hardware compromises on its camera array to keep the Duo thin and lightweight.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Artificial intelligence is helping non-specialists unlock the secrets of historical sources, a trend described as a "turning point" in a field previously the preserve of scholars and dedicated hobbyists.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
“It will be exhibited at the Louvre when we have found the ideal location to create a dedicated, secure exhibition space,” the museum said, “but for now, not all conditions are in place.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Families speak about the healing power of nature and how some have created dedicated green spaces at home.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Tom was a dedicated family man, but like his father he was attracted to the darkness, and in 1917 he took the oath to become a special agent of the Bureau of Investigation.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
“Erewhon stands as a true family-owned local icon — one that champions creativity and well being while fiercely dedicating itself to its communities.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
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
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
And yes, because you never had somebody like my maman dedicating her life to you.
From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
