commit

verb

com·​mit kə-ˈmit 

committed; committing

transitive verb

1

: to carry into action deliberately : perpetrate

commit a crime

commit a sin

2

a

: obligate, bind

a contract committing the company to complete the project on time

in a committed relationship

b

: to pledge or assign to some particular course or use

commit all troops to the attack

c

: to reveal the views of

refused to commit himself on the issue

3

a

: to put into charge or trust : entrust

… commit all executive, legislative, and judicial powers to one man …

—Arthur T. Vanderbilt

b

: to place in a prison or mental institution

The patient was committed by the court to a mental hospital.

He was committed to the state penitentiary for 10 years

c

: to consign or record for preservation

commit it to memory

d

: to put into a place for disposal or safekeeping

The chaplain committed the sailor's body to the deep.

e

: to refer (something, such as a legislative bill) to a committee for consideration and report

intransitive verb

1

: to obligate or pledge oneself

2

obsolete : to perpetrate an offense

committable

kə-ˈmi-tə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• accomplish
• achieve
• bring off
• carry off
• carry out
• compass
• do
• execute
• follow through (with)
• fulfill
• fulfil
• make
• negotiate
• perform
• perpetrate
• prosecute
• pull off
• put through

Choose the Right Synonym for commit

commit, entrust, confide, consign, relegate mean to assign to a person or place for a definite purpose.

commit may express the general idea of delivering into another's charge or the special sense of transferring to a superior power or to a special place of custody.

committed the felon to prison

entrust implies committing with trust and confidence.

the president is entrusted with broad powers

confide implies entrusting with great assurance or reliance.

confided complete control of my affairs to my attorney

consign suggests removing from one's control with formality or finality.

consigned the damaging notes to the fire

relegate implies a consigning to a particular class or sphere often with a suggestion of getting rid of.

relegated to an obscure position in the company

Examples of commit in a Sentence

The massacre was committed by the rebel army.

The contract commits the company to finishing the bridge by next fall.

He keeps delaying his decision because he doesn't want to commit himself.

They have not yet committed to a particular course of action.

Recent Examples on the Web

President Biden will formally apologize Friday to Indigenous communities for the role the U.S. government played in abuses committed in Federal Indian Boarding Schools that Native American children attended after being forcibly removed from their homes. —Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 25 Oct. 2024

Universities, government agencies and advocates have sought policy solutions along with awareness and education campaigns to reduce the harm committed within this distinct campus community. —Kyle Richard, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Not since Heidi Klum has a celebrity committed so fully and intricately in their Halloween costumes, leaving one to wonder if this anonymous benefactor has been funding other famous Halloweenies. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2024

Arizona Republic President Joe Biden is expected to formally apologize Friday for the abuses committed against Native boarding school students over the past century, a historic step long sought by former students and their families, during a visit to the Gila River Indian Community. —Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English committen "to give in trust (to), delegate authority (to), engage in," borrowed from Anglo-French committer, commettre, going back to Latin committere "to join together, engage, place in the keeping of, entrust, bring about, carry out (a crime)," from com- com- + mittere "to release, let go, send (for a purpose)" — more at admit

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3a

Phrases Containing commit

• commit a crime
• commit (something) to memory
• commit (something) to paper/writing
• commit suicide

Kids Definition

commit

verb

com·​mit kə-ˈmit 

committed; committing

1

a

: to make secure or put in safekeeping : entrust

commit the poem to memory

b

: to place in a prison or mental institution

2

: bring about, perform

commit a crime

3

: to pledge or assign to some particular course or use

committed myself to a meeting on Thursday

committable

-ˈmit-ə-bəl 

adjective

Medical Definition

commit

transitive verb

com·​mit kə-ˈmit 

committed; committing

: to place in a prison or mental institution

a patient committed by the court to a state hospital

committable

-ˈmit-ə-bəl 

adjective

Legal Definition

commit

verb

com·​mit

committed; committing

transitive verb

1

a

: to put into another's charge or trust : entrust, consign

committed her children to her sister's care

b

: to place in a prison or mental hospital especially by judicial order

was found to be gravely disabled and was involuntarily committed to the Central Louisiana State Hospital

—In the Matter of K.G., 531 So. 2d 575 (1988)

compare institutionalize, interdict

c

: to send (as a legislative bill) to a committee for consideration and report

commit the crime bill to the joint committee

2

: to carry into action deliberately : perpetrate

to define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas

—U.S. Constitution art. I

3

: obligate, bind

intransitive verb

: to obligate or bind oneself

would not commit to the irrevocable order