pledge

American  

[plej] / plɛdʒ /

noun

• pledges
  plural

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

---

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

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pledges
  plural

Participles

• pledging
  present
• pledged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pledge
  simple
• pledges
  simple
• have pledged
  perfect
• has pledged
  perfect
• am pledging
  progressive
• are pledging
  progressive
• is pledging
  progressive
• have been pledging
  perfect progressive
• has been pledging
  perfect progressive

Past

• pledged
  simple
• had pledged
  perfect
• was pledging
  progressive
• were pledging
  progressive
• 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

See Examples For:

pledge pledges pledged pledging

Canadian officials have threatened to sue Stellantis for failing to meet its pledge to assemble the Jeep Compass in Brampton.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

"I pledge to build at least one affordable house," Binface joked in his Clacton manifesto.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Andrés E. Chait to pledge a turmoil-free opening of school.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

The paper quotes the new energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, who said that the government "would not stick rigidly to the pledge made by her predecessor".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Many will pledge themselves to faithfully accept the new High King’s judgment in exchange for his wisdom and protection.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Tokyo pledges that Japan will become "the world's most-friendly country for developing and utilizing AI".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Other manifesto pledges have included forcing water company bosses to swim in polluted rivers and banning loud snacks in cinemas.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

When Kennedy ended up violating those pledges, Cassidy disagreed with him from the sidelines but could do little else.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

Founders appear at centenary celebrations and sign pledges to “common prosperity.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

After “Questioning” a lot of the pledges dropped out, including Sarah.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

In their coalition agreement for governing the city, the Social Democrats and liberals pledged to expand public toilet provision and examine whether public toilets could be made free for everyone.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Castillo pledged Thursday to continue her focus on animals and cosmetic genetic engineering.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

So far, more than 50 companies have pledged to give money to the accounts of their workers’ children, according to the Treasury Department.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Friday's ruling by the Constitutional Council overrides the ban, which Emmanuel Macron had pledged would be introduced in stages from September.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Anthony was equally disgusted with the wording of the Fourteenth Amendment, and she pledged that she would work against its ratification.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

The election commission started releasing constituency results late Friday, pledging the final outcome would be made public by Monday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

That won’t chill the opportunism, like a couple of attention-seeking ex-NBA players pledging to try out for the league.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The government is also pledging to set up another 59 dedicated mental health A&Es, on top of the 23 which are already operational.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

At the same time, the U.S. is prioritizing strengthening its own domestic semiconductor ecosystem to maintain technological leadership, with Micron pledging over $250 billion in U.S. investment through 2035.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

I am supposed to commit to recovery like a nun pledging body and soul in a convent.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Related Words

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