commitment
Other forms: commitments
Making a commitment involves dedicating yourself to something, like a person or a cause. Before you make a commitment, think carefully. A commitment obligates you to do something.
Some commitments are large, like marriage. When you take a job, you're making a commitment to show up and do the job well, and your employer makes a commitment to pay you. There are smaller commitments too. If you said you'd meet a friend at six, that's a commitment — show up or your friend will be mad. You also can speak of commitment as a quality. Staying after school for a study group shows your commitment to good grades.
Definitions of commitment
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the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action“his long commitment to public service”
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synonyms:
allegiance, dedication, loyalty
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types:
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communalism
loyalty and commitment to the interests of your own minority or ethnic group rather than to society as a whole
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consecration
a solemn commitment of your life or your time to some cherished purpose (to a service or a goal)
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devotion
commitment to some purpose
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enlistment
the act of enlisting (as in a military service)
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faith
loyalty or allegiance to a cause or a person
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cultism
devotion to the doctrine or a cult or to the practices of a cult
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hobbyism
a devotion to hobbies
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reenlistment
a renewed enlistment
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fetich, fetish
excessive or irrational devotion to some activity
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party spirit
devotion to a political party
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type of:
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cooperation
joint operation or action
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a message that makes a pledge
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synonyms:
dedication
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types:
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oath, swearing
a commitment to tell the truth (especially in a court of law); to lie under oath is to become subject to prosecution for perjury
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affirmation
(religion) a solemn declaration that serves the same purpose as an oath (if an oath is objectionable to the person on religious or ethical grounds)
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promise
a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
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assurance, pledge
a binding commitment to do or give or refrain from something
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profession
affirmation of acceptance of some religion or faith
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guarantee, warrant, warrantee, warranty
a written assurance that some product or service will be provided or will meet certain specifications
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guarantee
an unconditional commitment that something will happen or that something is true
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oath
a solemn promise, usually invoking a divine witness, regarding your future acts or behavior
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parole, word, word of honor
a promise
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plight, troth
a solemn pledge of fidelity
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betrothal, engagement, troth
a mutual promise to marry
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pinning
a mutual promise of a couple not to date anyone else; on college campuses it was once signaled by the giving of a fraternity pin
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rain check
a promise that an unaccepted offer will be renewed in the future
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vow
a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner
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type of:
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content, message, subject matter, substance
what a communication that is about something is about
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an engagement by contract involving financial obligation“his business commitments took him to London”
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types:
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incurrence
the act of incurring (making yourself subject to something undesirable)
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type of:
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engagement, involution, involvement, participation
the act of sharing in the activities of a group
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incurrence
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the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose“a man of energy and commitment”
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synonyms:
committedness
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types:
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investment
the commitment of something other than money (time, energy, or effort) to a project with the expectation of some worthwhile result
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type of:
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earnestness, serious-mindedness, seriousness, sincerity
the trait of being serious
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investment
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the official act of consigning a person to confinement (as in a prison or mental hospital)
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synonyms:
committal, consignment
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type of:
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confinement
the act of restraining a person's liberty by confining them
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confinement
Pronunciation
US
/kəˈmɪtmənt/
UK
/kəˈmɪtmənt/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘commitment'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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