commit
verb/kəˈmɪt/
/kəˈmɪt/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they commit | /kəˈmɪt/ /kəˈmɪt/ |
| he / she / it commits | /kəˈmɪts/ /kəˈmɪts/ |
| past simple committed | /kəˈmɪtɪd/ /kəˈmɪtɪd/ |
| past participle committed | /kəˈmɪtɪd/ /kəˈmɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form committing | /kəˈmɪtɪŋ/ /kəˈmɪtɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] commit something to do something wrong or illegal
- to commit a crime/an offence
- to commit murder/fraud/adultery
- to commit an act of violence/terrorism
- to commit an error/a sin
- to commit atrocities
- appalling crimes committed against innocent children
- Most crimes are committed by young men.
- The men are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
Extra ExamplesTopics Crime and punishmentb1- He denied conspiring to commit robberies in April last year.
- He was punished for a murder he did not commit.
- I had committed a faux pas by referring to her ex-husband.
- Was she capable of committing a crime?
- committing an act of violence
- What leads someone to commit murder?
- [transitive] commit suicide to kill yourself deliberately Although ‘commit suicide’ is a common collocation, many people prefer not to use this phrase as it suggests that suicide is a crime (because ‘commit’ usually collocates with words such as ‘crime’, ‘offence’, ‘sin’ and ‘murder’). You can say somebody takes their own life or that somebody dies by suicide instead.
- [transitive, often passive] to promise sincerely that you will definitely do something, keep to an agreement or arrangement, etc.
- commit somebody/yourself They want to see the text of the proposed treaty before fully committing themselves.
- commit somebody/yourself to something Making an application does not commit you to anything.
- commit somebody/yourself to doing something Borrowers should think carefully before committing themselves to taking out a loan.
- commit somebody/yourself to do something Both sides committed themselves to settle the dispute peacefully.
Extra ExamplesTopics Discussion and agreementb1- He has now committed us to buying the house.
- We need people to commit themselves to regular voluntary work.
- Both candidates refused to commit themselves to tax cuts.
- Several countries were reluctant to commit themselves to the treaty.
- [transitive] commit yourself (to something) to give an opinion or make a decision openly so that it is then difficult to change it
- You don't have to commit yourself now—just think about it.
Extra ExamplesTopics Preferences and decisionsc1, Opinion and argumentc1- I don't know what his opinion is. He won't commit himself.
- He had never committed himself to any ideology.
- [intransitive] commit (to somebody/something) to stay with and completely support one person, organization, etc. or give all your time and effort to your work, an activity, etc.
- Why is he so scared to commit? (= say he will stay with one person)
- [transitive] commit something to spend money or time on something/somebody
- The council has committed large amounts of money to housing projects.
- The University committed substantial funds to assisting mature students.
- [transitive, often passive] commit somebody to something to order somebody to be sent to a hospital, prison, etc.
- She was committed to a psychiatric hospital.
- [transitive] commit somebody to send somebody for trial in court
- The attackers were committed for trial at Bristol Crown Court.
- [transitive] commit something to memory to learn something well enough to remember it exactly
- She committed the instructions to memory.
- [transitive] commit something to paper/writing to write something downMore Like This Consonant-doubling verbsConsonant-doubling verbs
crime
suicide
promise/say definitely
stay with
money/time
to hospital/prison
somebody for trial
something to memory
something to paper/writing
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin committere ‘join, entrust’ (in medieval Latin ‘put into custody’), from com- ‘with’ + mittere ‘put or send’.
Check pronunciation:
commit