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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 City leaders reacted immediately, saying the revelations about the department’s culture were unacceptable and pledging to swiftly investigate and root out the systemic racism. — Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026 During his 2024 Senate campaign, Rogers signed Independent Women’s Voice’s Stand With Women Commitment, pledging to support legislation preserving female opportunities and private spaces. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Micron Technology, which operates an engineering and office facility in Folsom, is pledging $250 million in one-time $250 deposits to Trump Accounts for eligible children under 18 in Sacramento County and other regions where the company has offices. — Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Eight months after pledging to attract more talent and capital to South Florida by luring world-class companies and universities to the region, two of the area’s wealthiest billionaires are putting that promise into action. — Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026 While in office, Lai has stepped up spending on defense for Taiwan, notably pledging to increase defense spending from 3% to 5% of the GDP, and pushing through a special budget for the construction of a T-Dome air defense system. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026 Llerandi, Saiti and Bautista all support a slate of progressive, anti-establishment Democratic candidates in Michigan who are pledging to shake up the status quo. — Jacqueline Ganun, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Llerandi, Saiti and Bautista all support a slate of progressive, antiestablishment Democratic candidates in Michigan who are pledging to shake up the status quo. — Jacqueline Ganun, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pledging
  1. committing
  2. pawning
  3. vowing
  4. depositing
  5. promising
  6. swearing
Verb
  • Meanwhile, rental services such as Rent the Runway and Nuuly are seen as a cost-effective bridge option for consumers who are changing sizes every few months without committing to new retail purchases.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Porter's value grows by the game with the rest of the defensive backs mostly unable to break up passes without committing penalties.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 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
  • Drawing from Iran’s playbook in its conflict with the United States, the Houthis are vowing a painful escalation, targeting critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and imposing a global economic cost.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of vowing
Verb
  • But the tireless churn of his storytelling, picking up and depositing little clues of what came before, is the mark of an auteur who has barely scratched the surface of his prowess.
    — Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Beaches typically go through a seasonal cycle with powerful winter waves dragging sand out to sea and more mild summer waves depositing the sand back onshore.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of depositing
Verb
  • Faith also means opening the doors to artists eager to make space for themselves within country music — not least her beloved Lana Del Rey, who’s been promising for years to release a country album.
    — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In the cable, published by WikiLeaks, the embassy said recruiters in Israel were targeting young people finishing mandatory military service and promising large sums to be made working at American malls.
    — Monika Evstatieva, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of promising
Verb
  • The league on Monday suspended line judge Jeff Seeman for two games for swearing at Arizona’s Trey McBride and referee Adrian Hill for one game for yelling and gesturing at Minnesota’s Eric Wilson.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The league on Monday suspended line judge Jeff Seeman for two games for swearing at Arizona's Trey McBride and referee Adrian Hill for one game for yelling and gesturing at Minnesota's Eric Wilson.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 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 17 Oct. 2026.

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