ded·i·cate
ˈde-di-ˌkāt 
also ˈde-ˌdē-
dedicated; dedicating
1
: to devote to the worship of a divine being
specifically
: to set apart (a church) to sacred uses with solemn rites
2
a
: to set apart to a definite use
money dedicated to their vacation fund
b
: to commit to a goal or way of life
ready to dedicate his life to public service
3
: to inscribe or address by way of compliment
dedicate a book to a friend
4
: to open to public use
Synonyms
Examples of dedicate in a Sentence
Verb
The new park was dedicated today.
a young attorney who has decided to dedicate her career to helping the poor receive justice
Recent Examples on the Web
Graham Glass, Forbes, 25 Aug. 2022
If your organization holds annual summit meetings or retreats, dedicate time to review and discuss the company’s mission and core values.
—Sylvia Hastanan, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022
To alleviate this issue and proactively focus your SMEs’ content development efforts, dedicate time to performing regular content planning.
—Wendy Covey, Forbes, 23 May 2022
As a leader, dedicate time for discussions about your North Star.
—Anne Jacoby, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2022
Whip up a Father’s Day breakfast, or dedicate time to learning more about his family history.
—Erin Cavoto, Country Living, 4 May 2022
The highest performing teams are skilled at learning from experience and dedicate time for team learning.
—Tony Gambill, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2021
The South of Spain is getting its own dedicate post-production studio, Antípodas Film Lab, the first of its kind in the region.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 20 Oct. 2021
Funding will also be used to place health professionals in every CMSD campus and dedicate time before and after the traditional school day to offer students additional access to art, music and physical education.
—Hannah Drown, cleveland, 22 Sep. 2021
Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Nov. 2023
Throughout his upbringing in Santa Barbara, Jasper remained private, dedicating much of his time to sports.
—Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
But Friends took Thanksgiving more seriously than any other series, dedicating an episode every season to the holiday.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2023
An extra buyer was brought in to dedicate all their time to getting Christmas items until Thornhill and her team’s schedule allowed more time to delve into prep before shooting began.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
Blunt was there to accept the Wells Fargo’s Power of Women Alumni Award for dedicating her time and energy to help children overcome stuttering through educational resources at the American Institute for Stuttering.
—Meredith Woerner, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023
Givenchy dedicated it to Black women, featuring almost exclusively models of African origins.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2023
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been testing campaign messages in both states, and the party has dedicated communications and research staff in each location.
—Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023
Alan Jackson dedicated a song to his three daughters in 2021
Country singer Alan Jackson and his wife Denise Jackson are the parents of three daughters: Mattie Denise Jackson, Alexandra Jane Jackson Bradshaw and Dani Grace Jackson.
—Emily J. Shiffer, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023
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Adjective
For example, leaders need to focus on giving clear instructions and dedicate time to forging a cohesive company culture, which is harder to do online.
—Graham Glass, Forbes, 25 Aug. 2022
If your organization holds annual summit meetings or retreats, dedicate time to review and discuss the company’s mission and core values.
—Sylvia Hastanan, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022
To alleviate this issue and proactively focus your SMEs’ content development efforts, dedicate time to performing regular content planning.
—Wendy Covey, Forbes, 23 May 2022
As a leader, dedicate time for discussions about your North Star.
—Anne Jacoby, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2022
Whip up a Father’s Day breakfast, or dedicate time to learning more about his family history.
—Erin Cavoto, Country Living, 4 May 2022
The highest performing teams are skilled at learning from experience and dedicate time for team learning.
—Tony Gambill, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2021
The South of Spain is getting its own dedicate post-production studio, Antípodas Film Lab, the first of its kind in the region.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 20 Oct. 2021
Funding will also be used to place health professionals in every CMSD campus and dedicate time before and after the traditional school day to offer students additional access to art, music and physical education.
—Hannah Drown, cleveland, 22 Sep. 2021
Verb
Alvarez dedicated his senior season to his mother, Vanessa, who died of kidney failure on Aug. 9.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Nov. 2023
Throughout his upbringing in Santa Barbara, Jasper remained private, dedicating much of his time to sports.
—Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
But Friends took Thanksgiving more seriously than any other series, dedicating an episode every season to the holiday.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2023
An extra buyer was brought in to dedicate all their time to getting Christmas items until Thornhill and her team’s schedule allowed more time to delve into prep before shooting began.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
Blunt was there to accept the Wells Fargo’s Power of Women Alumni Award for dedicating her time and energy to help children overcome stuttering through educational resources at the American Institute for Stuttering.
—Meredith Woerner, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023
Givenchy dedicated it to Black women, featuring almost exclusively models of African origins.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2023
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has been testing campaign messages in both states, and the party has dedicated communications and research staff in each location.
—Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023
Alan Jackson dedicated a song to his three daughters in 2021
Country singer Alan Jackson and his wife Denise Jackson are the parents of three daughters: Mattie Denise Jackson, Alexandra Jane Jackson Bradshaw and Dani Grace Jackson.
—Emily J. Shiffer, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dedicate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, from Latin dedicatus, past participle of dedicare to dedicate, from de- + dicare to proclaim, dedicate — more at diction
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of dedicate was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing dedicate
Dictionary Entries Near dedicate
Cite this Entry
“Dedicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dedicate. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
dedicate
verb
ded·i·cate
ˈded-i-ˌkāt
dedicated; dedicating
1
: to set apart for some purpose and especially a sacred or serious purpose
2
: to address or inscribe as a compliment
dedicated her book to her mother
dedicator
noun
-ˌkāt-ər
More from Merriam-Webster on dedicate
Nglish: Translation of dedicate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of dedicate for Arabic Speakers
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