dedicate

1 of 2

adjective

ded·​i·​cate ˈde-di-kət How to pronounce dedicate (audio)

dedicate

2 of 2

verb

ded·​i·​cate ˈde-di-ˌkāt How to pronounce dedicate (audio)
 also  ˈde-ˌdē-
dedicated; dedicating

transitive verb

1
: to devote to the worship of a divine being
specifically : to set apart (a church) to sacred uses with solemn rites
2
a
: to set apart to a definite use
money dedicated to their vacation fund
b
: to commit to a goal or way of life
ready to dedicate his life to public service
3
: to inscribe or address by way of compliment
dedicate a book to a friend
4
: to open to public use
dedicator
ˈde-di-ˌkā-tər How to pronounce dedicate (audio)
 also  ˈde-ˌdē-
noun
Choose the Right Synonym for dedicate

devote, dedicate, consecrate, hallow mean to set apart for a special and often higher end.

devote is likely to imply compelling motives and often attachment to an objective.

devoted his evenings to study

dedicate implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

dedicated her life to medical research

consecrate stresses investment with a solemn or sacred quality.

consecrate a church to the worship of God

hallow, often differing little from dedicate or consecrate, may distinctively imply an attribution of intrinsic sanctity.

battlegrounds hallowed by the blood of patriots

Examples of dedicate in a Sentence

Verb The new park was dedicated today. a young attorney who has decided to dedicate her career to helping the poor receive justice
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
For example, leaders need to focus on giving clear instructions and dedicate time to forging a cohesive company culture, which is harder to do online. Graham Glass, Forbes, 25 Aug. 2022 If your organization holds annual summit meetings or retreats, dedicate time to review and discuss the company’s mission and core values. Sylvia Hastanan, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 To alleviate this issue and proactively focus your SMEs’ content development efforts, dedicate time to performing regular content planning. Wendy Covey, Forbes, 23 May 2022 As a leader, dedicate time for discussions about your North Star. Anne Jacoby, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2022 Whip up a Father’s Day breakfast, or dedicate time to learning more about his family history. Erin Cavoto, Country Living, 4 May 2022 The highest performing teams are skilled at learning from experience and dedicate time for team learning. Tony Gambill, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2021 The South of Spain is getting its own dedicate post-production studio, Antípodas Film Lab, the first of its kind in the region. Jamie Lang, Variety, 20 Oct. 2021 Funding will also be used to place health professionals in every CMSD campus and dedicate time before and after the traditional school day to offer students additional access to art, music and physical education. Hannah Drown, cleveland, 22 Sep. 2021
Verb
After dedicating a song to her during his Coachella show, Hayes is more discreet in his advances, allowing Solène to keep it secret from her daughter. Peter Debruge, Variety, 17 Mar. 2024 The fans are dedicated, loyal and have such big hearts. Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 To explain: the Augustine Sisters, who provided free medical services on this site since the 17th century, essentially introduced public healthcare to Canada by dedicating their lives to caring for people. Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Mar. 2024 Rodrigo dedicated the song to the Justices who had a hand in the decision. Shania Russell, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024 For instance, Zillow data from February suggests the median household is dedicating 29% of their income to the cost of a new rental. Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Interviews with two of Clemente’s sons as well as his late wife Vera capture a man who was loving, dedicated and just a bit eccentric — a fight almost breaks out between two talking heads over whether or not Clemente was a hypochondriac — in a purely human way. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 Fueled by a diverse economy — a dividend of the postwar boom years — this building, likened by one manager to the Taj Mahal, was dedicated on March 6, 1990. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Andreessen Horowitz dedicated $4.5 billion to crypto funds in 2022. Sarah McBride, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024

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

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin dedicatus, past participle of dedicare to dedicate, from de- + dicare to proclaim, dedicate — more at diction

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dedicate was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near dedicate

Cite this Entry

“Dedicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dedicate. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dedicate

verb
ded·​i·​cate
ˈded-i-ˌkāt
dedicated; dedicating
1
: to set apart for some purpose and especially a sacred or serious purpose
2
: to address or inscribe as a compliment
dedicated her book to her mother
dedicator
-ˌkāt-ər
noun

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