commitment

play

noun com·mit·ment \ kə-ˈmit-mənt \

Definition of commitment

1 a :an act of committing to a charge or trust: such as

(1) :a consignment to a penal or mental institution

filed a petition for commitment

(2) :an act of referring a matter to a legislative committee

b :mittimus

2 a :an agreement or pledge to do something in the future

a commitment to improve conditions at the prison

; especially :an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future date

b :something pledged

the commitment of troops to the war

c :the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled

a commitment to a cause

See commitment defined for English-language learners

See commitment defined for kids

Examples of commitment in a Sentence

His commitment to both his professions is admirable: currently a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, he also holds an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. —Erica Wagner, New York Times Book Review, 8 Feb. 2009
In their mission statement, the editors bragged of their firm commitment to equality and social justice, but their philosophy didn't prevent them from summoning Lindsey to perform all their menial tasks. —Kim Wong Keltner, The Dim Sum Of All Things, 2004
… I actually finished writing two more episodes of the tale before other commitments forced me to shelve it. —Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Aug. 1991
His commitment to a blue-water navy expressed his determination to project power. —George F. Will, Newsweek, 22 Nov. 1982
We've got commitments from several charities to donate food and clothing.
the government's commitment of troops to the region
The church has a commitment to helping the poor.
The boss noticed her strong commitment to her work.
No one doubts your commitment to the cause.

Recent Examples of commitment from the Web

Carnival Corporation Chairman Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine are matching the corporation’s commitment with a $1 million donation from the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation.

— manny navarro, miamiherald, "Heat owner Micky Arison, Carnival pledge at least $2 million in hurricane relief," 30 Aug. 2017
Earlier this week it was reported in Chile that Sanchez, who will turn 29 years of age in December, had requested a few hours off from commitments with the national team on Wednesday afternoon to conduct what was billed as personal business.

— SI.com, "Sterling Will Form No Part of Proposed Sanchez Deal But Man City 'Confident' of Landing Arsenal Star," 30 Aug. 2017
Last month, Beijing offered the Trump administration a commitment to reduce its steel production.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Seems to Genuinely Want a Trade War With China," 29 Aug. 2017
In baseball news, ’18 Kings pitcher Brett Souder announced his commitment to Youngstown State on Aug. 27.

— john snodgrass, Cincinnati.com, "Recruiting Trail: A big week for soccer, football," 28 Aug. 2017
Many universities make such a commitment to HHS, even if the experiments are abroad and don’t rely on federal grants.

— marisa taylor, Kaiser Health News, "Offshore Human Testing Of Herpes Vaccine Stokes Debate Over U.S. Safety Rules," 28 Aug. 2017
Now the school is making a commitment to Slessinger and the program's future.

— jim kleinpeter, NOLA.com, "UNO hoops coach Mark Slessinger gets new 7-year contract," 28 Aug. 2017
The company has also made a commitment to hire 15,000 more.

— Southern Living, "Starbucks Launches a New Campaign to Honor and Help Veterans," 23 Aug. 2017
Anything like unambiguous success will be impossible without a commitment much larger than the American public is, understandably, willing to contemplate.

— the editors, National Review, "Trump’s Afghan Escalation," 22 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commitment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of commitment

see commit

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1579

See Words from the same year

commitment Synonyms

COMMITMENT Defined for English Language Learners

commitment

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noun

Definition of commitment for English Language Learners

: a promise to do or give something
: a promise to be loyal to someone or something
: the attitude of someone who works very hard to do or support something

Medical Dictionary

commitment

play

noun com·mit·ment \ kə-ˈmit-mənt \

medical Definition of commitment

:a consignment to a penal or mental institution

Law Dictionary

commitment

noun

legal Definition of commitment

1 :an act of committing: as

a :placement in or assignment to a prison or mental hospital

petition for commitment

— compare incompetent, interdiction

Note: Commitment to a mental health facility is called civil commitment when it is not part of a criminal proceeding. Civil commitment proceedings are initiated by the patient, in the case of voluntary commitment, or by someone (as a family member or government agent) authorized by statute to petition for the patient's involuntary commitment. Some form of a hearing and periodic review is required in involuntary commitment proceedings. A criminal defendant may be committed to a mental hospital as a result of being found incompetent to stand trial, not guilty by reason of insanity, or incompetent to be sentenced.

b :an act of referring a matter to a legislative committee

c :a warrant committing someone to a prison

2 :an agreement or promise to do something in the future; especially :a promise to assume a financial obligation at a future date