pledge
Americannoun
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a solemn promise or agreement to do or refrain from doing something.
a pledge of aid;
a pledge not to wage war.
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something delivered as security for the payment of a debt or fulfillment of a promise, and subject to forfeiture on failure to pay or fulfill the promise.
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the state of being given or held as security.
to put a thing in pledge.
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Law.
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the act of delivering goods, property, etc., to another for security.
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the resulting legal relationship.
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something given or regarded as a security.
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a person accepted for membership in a club, fraternity, or sorority, but not yet formally approved.
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an assurance of support or goodwill conveyed by drinking a person's health; a toast.
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Obsolete.
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a hostage.
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a person who becomes bail or surety for another.
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verb (used with object)
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to bind by or as if by a pledge.
to pledge hearers to secrecy.
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to promise solemnly.
to pledge one's support.
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to give or deposit as a pledge; pawn.
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to stake, as one's honor.
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to secure by a pledge; give a pledge for.
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to accept as a pledge for club, fraternity, or sorority membership.
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to drink a health or toast to.
verb (used without object)
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to make or give a pledge.
to pledge for someone.
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to drink a pledge; toast someone's health, success, etc.
idioms
noun
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a formal or solemn promise or agreement, esp to do or refrain from doing something
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collateral for the payment of a debt or the performance of an obligation
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the condition of being collateral (esp in the phrase in pledge )
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a sign, token, or indication
the gift is a pledge of their sincerity
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an assurance of support or goodwill, conveyed by drinking to a person, cause, etc; toast
we drank a pledge to their success
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a person who binds himself, as by becoming bail or surety for another
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to make a vow to abstain from alcoholic drink
verb
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to promise formally or solemnly
he pledged allegiance
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(tr) to bind or secure by or as if by a pledge
they were pledged to secrecy
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to give, deposit, or offer (one's word, freedom, property, etc) as a guarantee, as for the repayment of a loan
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to drink a toast to (a person, cause, etc)
Other Word Forms
- interpledge verb (used with object)
- pledgable adjective
- pledgeable adjective
- pledgeless adjective
- pledger noun
- prepledge verb (used with object)
- quasi-pledge verb
- repledge verb (used with object)
- unpledged adjective
Etymology
Origin of pledge
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English plege, from Anglo-French, from early Medieval Latin plebium, plevium, noun derivative of plebīre “to pledge,” from Germanic; compare Old English plēon “to risk,” German pflegen “to look after”; plight 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The elder Ellison had pledged to personally guarantee the deal, including $45.7 billion in equity required to close the transaction.
From Los Angeles Times
The hedge fund pledged to raise these concerns at the company’s annual meeting.
From Barron's
The hedge fund pledged to raise these concerns at the company’s annual meeting.
From Barron's
I said I wasn’t from Texas, but that, she pointed out, didn’t explain my failure during the pledge to the flag.
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has pledged to increase defence spending over the medium term to meet growing security threats.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
