as in to devote
to keep or intend for a special purpose a young attorney who has decided to dedicate her career to helping the poor receive justice

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How does the verb dedicate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of dedicate are consecrate, devote, and hallow. While all these words mean "to set apart for a special and often higher end," dedicate implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

dedicated her life to medical research

Where would consecrate be a reasonable alternative to dedicate?

The synonyms consecrate and dedicate are sometimes interchangeable, but consecrate stresses investment with a solemn or sacred quality.

consecrate a church to the worship of God

When might devote be a better fit than dedicate?

Although the words devote and dedicate have much in common, devote is likely to imply compelling motives and often attachment to an objective.

devoted his evenings to study

In what contexts can hallow take the place of dedicate?

While in some cases nearly identical to dedicate, hallow, often differing little from dedicate or consecrate, may distinctively imply an attribution of intrinsic sanctity.

battlegrounds hallowed by the blood of patriots

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dedicate These individuals are dedicating themselves to not only providing an outlet for patients, but in many cases, assisting patients and their families during the process of end-of-life care. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 June 2025 For Memorial Day weekend this year, Meet the Press dedicated its whole hour to a special edition on children’s mental health and youth loneliness. Meredith Kile, People.com, 6 June 2025 To properly honor the iconic craft store, Michaels even dedicated an entire landing page on its website for easy product searching and the latest updates. Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2025 Myrie, a Brooklyn state senator, offered one potential strategy: Have the city hire far more lawyers dedicated solely to suing the Trump administration and formulating practices for how to block his most controversial policies. Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for dedicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dedicate
Verb
  • Roberts’ 24-page majority opinion was devoted almost entirely to explaining why the Tennessee law, called SB1, should be evaluated under the lower standard of review.
    Mark Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2025
  • With little else on the election calendar in the early months of 2025, national Democrats devoted time, energy and money to the race, which received enormous publicity.
    Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • Sabalenka, one of the favorites to lift the Wimbledon title this year, had saved four match points in a tiebreak to escape 2022 champion Elena Rybakina the previous day, one of them coming via a fortunate net cord.
    James Hansen, New York Times, 21 June 2025
  • But, as President Zelensky noted at the G7 summit, additional funding from allies to speed the development and production process could save a lot of lives.
    David Hambling, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dedicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dedicate. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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