1
as in commits
to obligate by prior agreement
I would love to go to dinner with you, but I've pledged myself to a play with my parents that night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deposits
to leave as a guarantee of repayment of a loan
pledged their house against the loan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in promises
to make a solemn declaration of intent
I pledge that I will abide by all of the rules of this organization
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in guarantees
something given or held to assure that the giver will keep a promise
I was required to leave my keys as a pledge that I would bring the car back
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in vows
a person's solemn declaration that he or she will do or not do something
made a pledge to quit smoking
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 pledges
Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
The program also pledges to fulfill conditions for adopting the euro currency by 2030, and to invest in Hungary's faltering state health care and public transportation sectors.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Feb. 2026
Rick Jackson pledges to make health care system cost effective.
—Adam Beam, AJC.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The promotion pledges to cover delivery and service for orders over $50.
—Sarah Whitten,sara Salinas,sarah Jackson,leslie Josephs, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
Border chiefTom Homan pledges to reduce federal agents in Minnesota if local jails allow ICE access to inmates.
—National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Still, Amazon pledges to continue to experiment with new physical store formats.
—Anne D'innocenzio, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Healthcare company pledges Obamacare rebates The CEO of UnitedHealth Group, Stephen Hemsley, vows to rebate company profits from the Affordable Care Act to its customers in 2026.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
This interpretation of the events pledges fealty to the source material, sometimes at the expense of character development, but the film’s all-star cast is more than equipped to pick up the slack.
—Lia Beck, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
New Atlas, 13 Feb. 2026
Anthropic's commitment is similar to pledges made by competitors Microsoft and OpenAI, as the sector faces mounting pressure to address its environmental and economic impact.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Other critics have questioned the need for any increase in Iroquois’ capacity, given the pledges from both New York and Connecticut to lower their overall greenhouse gas emissions over the next several decades.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
Most of that money went to producing and airing ads in which Steyer touts his wins supporting various ballot measures and pledges to break up utility monopolies to lower costs.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Of Texas' six pledges in the cycle, four are three-star prospects, while the Longhorns also hold commitments from one four-star and one five-star recruit.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 Feb. 2026
But many have said that the public pledges remain too vague to gauge the program's full impact, and some experts have warned that the program is likely to be constrained by the courts.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
Members of an Arizona fraternity allegedly instructed pledges to drink from large bottles of vodka the night before a Northern Arizona University student was pronounced dead, court documents say.
—Lindsay Good, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi unveiled some $175 billion of funding pledges between 2010 and 2024, largely as investments rather than loans, which CATF noted was a friendlier form of financial relationship.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Verb
The brand pledges 1 percent of all sales to support the Rare Impact Fund, which aims to mobilize $100 million to expand access to mental health services and education for young people worldwide.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
The program also pledges to fulfill conditions for adopting the euro currency by 2030, and to invest in Hungary's faltering state health care and public transportation sectors.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Feb. 2026
Rick Jackson pledges to make health care system cost effective.
—Adam Beam, AJC.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The promotion pledges to cover delivery and service for orders over $50.
—Sarah Whitten,sara Salinas,sarah Jackson,leslie Josephs, CNBC, 8 Feb. 2026
Border chiefTom Homan pledges to reduce federal agents in Minnesota if local jails allow ICE access to inmates.
—National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Still, Amazon pledges to continue to experiment with new physical store formats.
—Anne D'innocenzio, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Healthcare company pledges Obamacare rebates The CEO of UnitedHealth Group, Stephen Hemsley, vows to rebate company profits from the Affordable Care Act to its customers in 2026.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
This interpretation of the events pledges fealty to the source material, sometimes at the expense of character development, but the film’s all-star cast is more than equipped to pick up the slack.
—Lia Beck, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
Noun
The MagHub Quad Max is currently raising funds on Kickstarter, where pledges start at US$799 at time of writing.
—New Atlas, 13 Feb. 2026
Anthropic's commitment is similar to pledges made by competitors Microsoft and OpenAI, as the sector faces mounting pressure to address its environmental and economic impact.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Other critics have questioned the need for any increase in Iroquois’ capacity, given the pledges from both New York and Connecticut to lower their overall greenhouse gas emissions over the next several decades.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
Most of that money went to producing and airing ads in which Steyer touts his wins supporting various ballot measures and pledges to break up utility monopolies to lower costs.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Of Texas' six pledges in the cycle, four are three-star prospects, while the Longhorns also hold commitments from one four-star and one five-star recruit.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 Feb. 2026
But many have said that the public pledges remain too vague to gauge the program's full impact, and some experts have warned that the program is likely to be constrained by the courts.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
Members of an Arizona fraternity allegedly instructed pledges to drink from large bottles of vodka the night before a Northern Arizona University student was pronounced dead, court documents say.
—Lindsay Good, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi unveiled some $175 billion of funding pledges between 2010 and 2024, largely as investments rather than loans, which CATF noted was a friendlier form of financial relationship.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pledges
Verb
-
Indonesia commits up to 8,000 troops for potential Gaza deployment, providing the first firm military contribution to support the stabilization force.—
Aamer Madhani,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The script glances in such directions but never commits.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The agency deposits up to $1,000 in these accounts them if parents complete recommended preventive care before their babies turn two.—
Cathie Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Because of the low reactivity of fluorine, when KL-50 deposits fluoroethyl groups onto the cells, the crosslinks are slow to form.—
Isabella Backman,
Hartford Courant,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The company promises lower fares by giving drivers 100% of the rider's payment, cutting out commissions and fees on both sides.—
Naomi Ruchim,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Learning How to Skimo—With an E-Ski E-Skimo promises to cut the grind by 30 percent, meaning 30 percent less of a muscle workout—while boosting speed by 80 percent, potentially extending range fourfold.—
Kendall Hunter,
Outside,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Zelensky, who has been president since 2019, noted that elections have not been held since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and stressed that Ukraine needed strong security guarantees before agreeing to any end to the war.—
Nandika Chatterjee,
Time,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The Ukrainian president also reiterated his demand for strong security guarantees as a precondition to ending the war.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly renewed their wedding vows from bed just days before his death.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
-
As Kaedi Cecala stood beside her husband, Mikey Cecala, the couple exchanged vows surrounded by family and friends gathered to celebrate their wedding.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There’s a lot of UPF clothing out there, but for saltwater fishing, Rubner swears by Free Fly apparel from head to toe.—
Francesca Krempa,
Outside,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Wildcat Mountain, New Hampshire In northern New Hampshire, Wildcat Mountain’s diehard following swears by its exciting terrain, stunning views of Mount Washington and the great White Mountain National Forest, and intimate, no-frills feel that makes winter-sport purists feel right at home.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At Chicago-Kent, Hablutzel soon gained a reputation for teaching some of the law school’s toughest courses, including banking law, international capital markets, international commercial arbitration, money laundering, securities regulation and business torts.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But the packages, as unregistered securities, were not permitted to be sold in Texas, regulators say.—
Trevor Bach,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pledges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pledges. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
