pledging

verb

present participle of pledge
1
as in committing
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pawning
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 vowing
to make a solemn declaration of intent I pledge that I will abide by all of the rules of this organization

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 pledging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Vietnamese President To Lam met in Canberra last month, pledging to deepen their partnership on issues like defense and trade. — Shibani Mahtani, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026 The Serbian Progressive Party has gradually taken control of all state institutions since coming to power in 2012, while denying abuse of office and repeatedly pledging to fight graft. — Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 To back this massive bet, SoftBank has employed various financial leverage tools, including pledging a portion of its stake in Arm. — CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026 Five years later, Sheikh Hamad effectively broke the siege by visiting Gaza and pledging more than four hundred million dollars to reconstruction efforts there. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026 Local-government officials encouraged the frenzy by pledging financial aid to start-ups that used OpenClaw. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026 Kramer is accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State of Syria and arming himself to carry out a mass casualty attack against the American people. — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Jacob has been pledging to kill her, sometimes in visceral terms, all season. — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026 For years, Silicon Valley has been pledging to disrupt Hollywood (and in many cases, succeeding). — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pledging
  1. committing
  2. pawning
  3. vowing
  4. depositing
  5. promising
  6. swearing
Verb
  • The Horned Frogs were aided by BYU’s offensive line committing multiple penalties and having multiple low snaps to Bachmeier, but even without BYU’s mistakes, the Horned Frogs routinely disrupted BYU’s offensive rhythm.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Johnson does good work committing to the bit here, too, barreling forward despite her friends’ alarm and disapproval.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of committing
Verb
  • Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, drained the actress emotionally and financially, even pawning some of her possessions and keeping others in a storage unit, her estranged mom Lesley Vogel claims.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • When interviewed by police in May, Weckesser allegedly admitted to stealing the ring from the home and re-shaping it before pawning it off.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Definition of pawning
Verb
  • Seminole’s rural boundary is a hot political topic, with nearly every candidate running for office in Seminole this election year vowing to protect the area mostly east of the Econlockhatchee River and covering about one third of the county.
    — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The future for national cinema is bleak under a potential Flávio Bolsonaro presidency, with the candidate vowing to mimic virtually all of his father’s policies—and tighten some even further.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of vowing
Verb
  • After her death, Ettie executed Florine’s estate, depositing her paintings in major collections and organizing exhibitions.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • To pay for this labor, inmates claim that individuals outside of prison are depositing thousands of dollars into the commissary accounts of those serving the rapper.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of depositing
Verb
  • Korean star Han Ji-min accepted The Hollywood Reporter’s Trailblazer Award at a glitzy gala high above Busan on Wednesday night, promising that her creative journey was only just beginning.
    — Mathew Scott, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Anura Kumara Dissanayake became president on an anti-corruption platform in 2024 promising to take action against anyone suspected of corruption in the Rajapaksa family and previous administrations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of promising
Verb
  • Coyotec comes up with unexpected takes on topics and sometimes has to be told to stop swearing.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter shakes hands with Purdue Northwest students after swearing them in as interns with the High Tech Crime Unit on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
    — Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of swearing

Browse Nearby Words

pledges
pledging
plenary
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Cite this Entry

“Pledging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pledging. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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