commit

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /kəˈmɪt/ See IPA manual

Freq #2640

Meanings

1

verb
To do something wrong or illegal, such as a crime.

He was sent to prison for committing a serious crime.
2

verb
To promise to give your time, effort, or loyalty to something.

I committed myself to the charity with a large donation of time and money.
3

verb
To give something to someone to keep or look after; to entrust.

Commit these numbers to memory.
4

verb
To send someone to a hospital or institution, especially for mental illness.

The court ordered that he be committed to a psychiatric hospital.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 verb · to promise to give your... consecrate

4 verb · to send someone to a... section

Word family

Forms commitscommittedcommittinguncommitted

Derived forms autocommitcommitmentcommittablecommittedcommittercommittibledecommitmiscommitnoncommittingovercommitprecommitrecommit

Related forms commission committal committee mission noncommittal push stage

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

commit a crime
carry out an illegal act

Verb + noun
committed suicide
intentionally ended their own life

Verb + noun

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English committen, itself borrowed from Latin committō (“to bring together, join, compare, commit (a wrong), incur, give in charge, etc.”), from com- (“together”) + mittō (“to send”). See mission.

committen Middle English committō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# commit

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /kəˈmɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 2640

## Meanings
1. To do something wrong or illegal, such as a crime.
2. To promise to give your time, effort, or loyalty to something.
3. To give something to someone to keep or look after; to entrust.
4. To send someone to a hospital or institution, especially for mental illness.

## Examples
- He was sent to prison for committing a serious crime.
- I committed myself to the charity with a large donation of time and money.
- Commit these numbers to memory.
- The court ordered that he be committed to a psychiatric hospital.

## Derived Forms
- autocommit
- commitment
- committable
- committed
- committer
- committible
- decommit
- miscommit
- noncommitting
- overcommit
- precommit
- recommit

## Related Forms
- commission
- committal
- committee
- mission
- noncommittal
- push
- stage

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: committen
- Root: committō

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English committen, itself borrowed from Latin committō (“to bring together, join, compare, commit (a wrong), incur, give in charge, etc.”), from com- (“together”) + mittō (“to send”). See mission.

## AI Etymology
commit is a verb. It was inherited from Middle English committen, itself borrowed from Latin committō (“to bring together, join, compare, commit (a wrong), incur, give in charge, etc.”), from com- (“together”) + mittō (“to send”). See mission. Historical forms in the chain include committen (Middle English) and committō (Latin). Current senses include to do something wrong or illegal, such as a crime, to promise to give your time, effort, or loyalty to something, and to give something to someone to keep or look after; to entrust. Derived forms include autocommit, commitment, committable, committed, and committer. Related words include commission, committal, committee, and mission.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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