pledge

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a bailment of a chattel as security for a debt or other obligation without involving transfer of title
b
: the chattel so delivered
c
: the contract incidental to such a bailment
2
a
: the state of being held as a security or guaranty
b
: something given as security for the performance of an act
3
: a token, sign, or earnest of something else
4
: a gage of battle
5
6
a
: a binding promise or agreement to do or forbear
b(1)
: a promise to join a fraternity, sorority, or secret society
(2)
: a person who has so promised

pledge

2 of 2

verb

pledged; pledging

transitive verb

1
: to make a pledge of
especially : pawn
2
: to drink to the health of
3
: to bind by a pledge
4
: to promise the performance of by a pledge
pledger noun
or pledgor
ˈple-jər How to pronounce pledge (audio)
ple-ˈjȯr

Examples of pledge in a Sentence

Noun He has promised to fulfill a campaign pledge to cut taxes. To make a pledge or donation, please call the charity's office. The company has made a pledge of over $3,000. He left his car as a pledge that he would return with the money. Verb Her family pledged $100,000 toward the construction of a new school. He called to pledge money to the charity. Every morning, we pledge allegiance to the flag. teenagers who have pledged not to start smoking During his campaign, he pledged that he would not raise taxes. The chefs are pledged to keep the restaurant's special recipe a secret. He pledged his paintings as collateral for a loan.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
That initial pledge of nonstop vulnerability is not completely fulfilled, but Fishburne has poured out a bit of his heart and channeled the stories of others, exactly like he’s always done in the movies. Brittani Samuel, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 Protecting anonymity is at the core of our mission and our pledge to our users. Christian Sutherland-Wong, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 In 2022, for instance, Ben & Jerry's sued its parent company for selling its business in Israel and the country's West Bank region to a local licensee, arguing that the sale violated Unilever's pledge to end sales of its products in the region in 2021 as a show of support for the Palestinian cause. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2024 Additionally, the marque remains committed to its pledge of going all-electric, but has pushed back the target date from 2030 to 2033. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2024 Collusion between Trump and Putin in the form of, say, a bogus peace pledge would therefore make perfect political sense. Benn Steil, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2024 Burning more gas and coal runs counter to President Biden’s pledge to halve the nation’s planet-warming greenhouse gases and to generate all of America’s electricity from pollution-free sources such as wind, solar and nuclear by 2035. Brad Plumer, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Virginia last voted for a Republican for president in 2004, despite routine pledges from GOP candidates to turn it into a battleground state. Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 Regulars at the Bloomingdale tavern, faces from the bar scene and teams from local breweries pledge to shave their heads in exchange for charitable donations. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
In 2015, militants in Russian provinces and republics pledged allegiance to the group and formed IS-Caucasus Province. Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 However, Lyndhurst police say the hospital never received the portion of the money they were pledged. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 Unsurprisingly, in typical Gen Z fashion, a majority of users could not care less and J.P.’s sexuality, taking the time to make separate TikTok posts pledging their allegiance to the rapper. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2024 Sha Wellness Clinic has also pledged to get their Green Globe Certification within their first year of operation. Hannah Selinger, Travel + Leisure, 20 Mar. 2024 The United Kingdom has pledged nearly $10 billion in direct military aid. Henrik Pettersson, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 The $1 billion in Democratic money pledged on Mr. Biden’s behalf does not include an additional $239 million in advertising reservations made by Senate Majority PAC, the super PAC devoted to electing Senate Democrats. Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and Houston native, 25, has pledged to pay for the funeral expenses of Jarvon Coles, according to NFL.com reporter Ian Rapoport. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 Police brutality activists heralded the charges, which came just a week after city officials signed two agreements with the federal government pledging to clean up the troubled department. Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pledge.' 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

Noun

Middle English plegge, plege "surety for a person, guarantor," borrowed from Anglo-French (also continental Old & Middle French plege, pleige), going back to early Medieval Latin plebium, plevium, plibium, noun derivative (with the Latin deverbal suffix -ium) of plebere "to give surety," probably blend of Latin praebeō, praebēre "to put forward, offer, provide" and an Old Low Franconian verb *plegan- cognate with Old Saxon plegan "to accept responsibility (for)," Middle Dutch pleghen "to look after," Old High German pflegan "to look (after), bear responsibility, vouch (for)" — more at plight entry 2

Note: The verb plebere, attested in the Lex Romana Curiensis (eighth century), was vernacularized as Old French/Anglo-French plevir "to give as surety, promise, swear," with conjugation change probably after garantir "to protect, warrant" (see warrant entry 2) and garir "to support, protect, cure" (see garrison entry 1); compare replevin entry 1.

Verb

Middle English pleggen "to promise, stand surety for," in part derivative of plegge, plege pledge entry 1; in part borrowed from Anglo-French pleger "to guarantee as surety, act as surety," derivative of plege pledge entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pledge was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near pledge

Cite this Entry

“Pledge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pledge. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pledge

1 of 2 noun
1
: the handing over of something to another to assure that the giver will keep his or her promise
also : the thing handed over
2
: the state of being held as a security
given in pledge
3
: something that is a token or sign of something else
the ring is a pledge of love
4
5
: a promise or agreement that must be kept

pledge

2 of 2 verb
pledged; pledging
1
: to give as a pledge
2
: to drink to the health of : toast entry 3
3
: to obligate by a pledge
pledged myself to give $50
4
: to promise by a pledge
pledge money to charity

Legal Definition

pledge

1 of 2 noun
1
: a delivery of especially personal property as security for a debt or other obligation
broadly : the perfection of a security interest in collateral through possession of the collateral by a creditor or other promisee
2
a
: property and especially personal property that is used as security especially upon delivery
broadly : a security interest in collateral compare chattel mortgage at mortgage
b
: a contract under which the delivery of property (as personal property) as security takes place
3
a
: the state of being held as security or guaranty
property held in pledge
b
: something given as security for the performance of an act
4
: a binding promise to do or forbear

pledge

2 of 2 transitive verb
pledged; pledging
1
: to deliver or otherwise put forward as security for a debt or other obligation
pledged his car as collateral for the loan
2
: to bind by a pledge
we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honorDeclaration of Independence
3
: to assure or promise the performance or payment of
pledgor noun
or pledger

More from Merriam-Webster on pledge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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