commit to

commit (someone, something, or oneself) to (something)

1. To agree to something. I'm sorry, but I can't commit myself to your project because it seems fundamentally flawed. Can you believe she asked us to commit ourselves for her move on Saturday? I want to enjoy my day off! Of course I didn't commit myself to his ludicrous scheme!
2. To devote or dedicate oneself or another to someone or something. You need to fully commit yourself to your family and stop working so many hours. Jana won an academic award after committing herself to her studies. I can commit six of my employees to this project.
3. To engage in an exclusive romantic relationship. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is not necessarily used between "commit" and "to." I really want to commit to Ryan, but his history of womanizing makes me reluctant to trust him. A: "I hear he bought an engagement ring." B: "Whoa, so he's really committing himself to her, huh?" Melissa, let's commit to each other and build a life together!
See also: commit, to
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

commit someone or something to something

to pledge or assign someone or something to something. The boss committed Ralph to the task. I cannot commit any more money to your project.
See also: commit, to

commit to someone

to marry or enter into an exclusive relationship with another person. Jane says she loves me, but she's not ready to commit to any one person. If you can't commit to me, then this relationship is over.
See also: commit, to
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
See also:
References in periodicals archive ?
In an interview with DZMM Thursday morning, lawyer Vincent Isles said: "We have decided, with the mother, that we will voluntarily commit to a child care facility." Isles said that they will retrieve the teen suspect from a safe house and commit him to the social welfare facility later on Thursday.
Teen suspect in Lapu-Lapu slay to be sent to DSWD facility, lawyer says
HAS there ever been a time when you felt that you weren't ready to commit to a relationship?
Lots of different factors influence our readiness to commit to a relationship.
Only you can judge if you are ready for commitment; MIND MATTER
For USDA's Cooperative Month proclamation (see page 18), Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has extended the theme to "Co-ops Commit to Members and Their Communities," reflecting the way co-ops not only make life better for their members, but for all the other people in a co-op's sphere of influence.
The co-ops featured could adapt this year's theme in many other ways, such as: Co-ops Commit to Renewable Energy; Co-ops Commit to Helping Farmers; Co-ops Commit to Democracy and Dynamic Governance; Co-ops Commit to Worker-owned Businesses; Co-ops Commit to Better Home Care for Elderly and Disabled People"; even "Co-ops Commit to T-Rex Preservation." And if that last one doesn't bring home the flexibility of both the co-op business model and the types of work co-ops can do, nothing will!
Why We Celebrate Co-op Month
3: to commit to a program of retirement planning and investing.
Hitting her target: Diane Fenderson is on track to maintain her lifestyle when she retires
Its cofounders had the experience and knowledge to conceive and commit to big ideas and to encourage spin-off innovations.
Step three is to evaluate remaining core projects and commit to three to five compelling ideas.
Attracting and keeping America's young, bright minds
They wait for the defender to commit to the run, then engage him.
Touchdown blocks: they look good on your receivers. (Football)
Courts ask mental-health clinicians for opinions on whether a particular sex offender remains dangerous enough to keep in prison or to commit to a psychiatric hospital.
Men of prey: scientists peer into the dark world of sex offenders
We need to commit fewer people to institutions and commit to all people.
Let's not gang up on our kids
If manufacturers must commit to inspire commitment, and if they have to prove it by publicly erecting barriers to their own exit, then they are vulnerable!
Distributing intensively (blanketing a market with outlets), while it does increase product availability, reduces the distributor's confidence in the manufacturer, thereby lessening the distributor's willingness to commit to a strategic alliance.
Forging a strategic distribution alliance
Whether we commit to being part of a meeting or a marriage, if we shrug it off with easy cultural aphorisms, our children learn the message: commitment means maybe.
How to teach your kids to honor their commitments
"This is having you take this declaration and say that you commit to doing these specific things."
Prescription for wealth
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