Commit is a verb with several related but distinct meanings. It can mean to devotegive your time, energy, or attention to one purpose yourself to something, to carry out an act, to send someone to an institution, to investput money into something to gain a benefit later money, to do or perform something, or to entrustgive responsibility for something to another person something to someone else.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /kəˈmɪt/
Easy pronunciation: kuh-MIT (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress is on the second syllable: mit.
Verb meaning to give yourself entirely to a person, activity, or cause.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Commit Meaning
to dedicate yourself fully to something or someone
Part of speech: verb
Definition: give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
Example: She committed herself to the work of God.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- dedicate — A strong substitute when the meaning is to give yourself fully to a cause or purpose.
- devote — Common and natural in this sense, especially with time, energy, or yourself.
- consecrate — Works in formal or religious contexts, but is less common in everyday speech.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Commit
Meaning 2
to do something, often something wrong or serious
Part of speech: verb
Definition: perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
Example: The suspect is accused of committing the crime.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- perpetrate — Used especially for crimes, offenses, or serious bad acts.
Meaning 3
to send someone to a hospital, prison, or similar place
Part of speech: verb
Definition: cause to be admitted; of persons to an institution
Example: After the second episode, she had to be committed.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- send — Works in a general sense, but is less specific than commit.
- institutionalize — Used for placing someone in an institution; more formal and less common.
- institutionalise — British spelling of institutionalize.
Meaning 4
to put money into something
Part of speech: verb
Definition: make an investment
Example: They committed more money to the project.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- invest — A direct match when the meaning is to put money into something.
- put — Can work in some investment contexts, though it is broader and less precise.
- place — Can be used for money or funds in formal financial language.
Meaning 5
to do or carry out something
Part of speech: verb
Definition: engage in or perform
Example: He committed a random act of kindness.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- practice — Can fit when the meaning is to carry out an act, but it is not always a perfect substitute.
Meaning 6
to entrust something to someone or to hand it over for safekeeping
Part of speech: verb
Definition: confer a trust upon
Example: I commit my soul to God.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- entrust — A strong and natural synonym in this sense.
- confide — Works when something is placed in someone's care, but it is usually used with information or feelings.
- intrust — A less common variant of entrust.
- trust — Related in meaning, though broader and less exact than entrust.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Commit Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- dedicate
- devote
- consecrate
to do something, especially a bad act or crime
- perpetrate
to send someone to an institution
- send
- institutionalize
- institutionalise
to put money into something
- invest
- put
- place
to carry out or perform
- practice
to entrust something to someone
- entrust
- confide
- intrust
- trust
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing commit meaning 'dedicate' with commit meaning 'commit a crime'.
- Using commit as if it simply means 'send' in every context.
- Treating institutionalize as a general synonym for commit even outside medical or custodial contexts.
- Mixing up commit to with commit a crime or commit money to something.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does commit mean in everyday English?
Most often, commit means to dedicate yourself to something or someone. It can also mean to do something, often something wrong, or to send someone to an institution in formal contexts.
What are the best synonyms for commit?
For the main sense, the best synonyms are dedicate and devote. Other senses use different synonyms, such as perpetrate for crimes and entrust for handing something over to someone.
Is commit always a positive word?
No. It can be positive when it means to devote yourself to something, but it is often used negatively in phrases like commit a crime.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
