pledge

American  

[plej] / plɛdʒ /

noun

1. a solemn promise or agreement to do or refrain from doing something.

   a pledge of aid;

   a pledge not to wage war.

2. something delivered as security for the payment of a debt or fulfillment of a promise, and subject to forfeiture on failure to pay or fulfill the promise.

   Synonyms:

   guaranty, surety, warranty

3. the state of being given or held as security.

   to put a thing in pledge.

4. Law.

   1. the act of delivering goods, property, etc., to another for security.

   2. the resulting legal relationship.

5. something given or regarded as a security.

6. a person accepted for membership in a club, fraternity, or sorority, but not yet formally approved.

7. an assurance of support or goodwill conveyed by drinking a person's health; a toast.

8. Obsolete.

   1. a hostage.

   2. a person who becomes bail or surety for another.

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verb (used with object)

pledges, present (3rd person singular) pledged, past participle, past pledging present participle

1. to bind by or as if by a pledge.

   to pledge hearers to secrecy.

2. to promise solemnly.

   to pledge one's support.

3. to give or deposit as a pledge; pawn.

4. to stake, as one's honor.

5. to secure by a pledge; give a pledge for.

6. to accept as a pledge for club, fraternity, or sorority membership.

7. to drink a health or toast to.

verb (used without object)

pledges, present (3rd person singular) pledged, past participle, past pledging present participle

1. to make or give a pledge.

   to pledge for someone.

2. to drink a pledge; toast someone's health, success, etc.

idioms

1. take the pledge, to make a solemn, formal vow to abstain from intoxicating drink.

pledge British  

/ plɛdʒ /

noun

1. a formal or solemn promise or agreement, esp to do or refrain from doing something

2. 1. collateral for the payment of a debt or the performance of an obligation

   2. the condition of being collateral (esp in the phrase in pledge )

3. a sign, token, or indication

   the gift is a pledge of their sincerity

4. an assurance of support or goodwill, conveyed by drinking to a person, cause, etc; toast

   we drank a pledge to their success

5. a person who binds himself, as by becoming bail or surety for another

6. to make a vow to abstain from alcoholic drink

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verb

1. to promise formally or solemnly

   he pledged allegiance

2. (tr) to bind or secure by or as if by a pledge

   they were pledged to secrecy

3. to give, deposit, or offer (one's word, freedom, property, etc) as a guarantee, as for the repayment of a loan

4. to drink a toast to (a person, cause, etc)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unpledged
  adjective
• prepledge
  verb (used with object)
• pledgeless
  adjective
• interpledge
  verb (used with object)
• pledgeable
  adjective
• pledger
  noun
• quasi-pledge
  verb
• repledge
  verb (used with object)
• pledgable
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has pledged
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have pledged
  perfect
• have been pledging
  perfect progressive
• am pledging
  progressive 1st person singular
• pledges
  singular 3rd person
• is pledging
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are pledging
  progressive
• has been pledging
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• pledging
  participle

Past

• had pledged
  perfect
• pledged
  simple
• was pledging
  progressive singular
• were pledging
  progressive plural
• pledged
  participle
• had been pledging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pledge
  simple
• will have pledged
  perfect
• will be pledging
  progressive
• will have been pledging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pledge

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English plege, from Anglo-French, from early Medieval Latin plebium, plevium, noun derivative of plebīre “to pledge,” from Germanic; compare Old English plēon “to risk,” German pflegen “to look after”; cf. plight ²

Explanation

A pledge is basically very serious formal promise. You can pledge allegiance to your country, you can pledge to keep a secret, and you can pledge a sum of money to a cause. Pledge can be used as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it can be a solemn promise you've made. Or even the person who makes that promise, like the freshman pledges who take an oath to join a fraternity in college. As a verb, it describes the act of promising. “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people,” vowed Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States.

Example Sentences

He is already campaigning on a hard-line pledge to restore state authority, and increase police numbers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

Romania has called for Nato to move faster with a pledge to transfer more military equipment to this stretch of its eastern edge.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Brad Gerstner, CEO of Altimeter Capital and a driving force to create the accounts, has made a pledge for kids in Indiana.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

In 2009, the company announced that the pledge would be withdrawn.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

Asked by journalists why he didn’t just cut American losses and leave Vietnam, Johnson repeated a pledge he had made many times: “I’m not going to be the first American president to lose a war.”

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• agreement
• assurance
• guarantee
• oath
• promise
• vow
• word