committing
committing — verb
- committingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- committings3rd person singular
- committinging-ing form
- committingedpast simple
1. carrying out an action that breaks the law or that other people regard as morall
carrying out an action that breaks the law or that other people regard as morally wrong, such as a crime, attack, or mistake.
Rafael was arrested for committing fraud against three small businesses in his neighborhood.
committing + [crime noun]
The judge said that committing perjury during a murder trial was an extremely serious offense.
committing + perjury / a crime in legal context
Caleb felt terrible about committing such a hurtful lie to his younger sister.
Police suspected Hamza of committing several burglaries across the city this winter.
Doctors who keep committing the same medication errors should not be allowed to practise.
- perpetrate
formal; almost exclusively for serious crimes
- carry out
neutral; works for any planned act, not just wrongs
文法句型
committing + [noun: crime / fraud / offence]
用法筆記
Object is almost always something negative: a crime (murder, theft, fraud), an attack, a sin, or a mistake. Cannot take positive objects (don't say 'commit a good deed').
常見錯誤
2. agreeing to spend your loyalty, energy, time, or financial resources on a chosen
agreeing to spend your loyalty, energy, time, or financial resources on a chosen person, cause, or plan, in a way that makes it hard to back out later.
Tamar is committing two evenings a week to volunteer work at the local food bank.
committing + [time] + to + [activity]
By signing the contract, Anthony was committing himself to five years of military service.
reflexive: committing oneself to
The government is committing millions of dollars to rebuilding schools in flood-hit areas.
Allison was not ready to keep committing her weekends to a relationship that felt one-sided.
Before committing to a marathon, Christopher trained for six months with a coach.
- withdraw
opposite action: pulling back support already pledged
文法句型
committing + [oneself / time / money] + to + [cause]
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'to' + the goal or recipient. Distinguish from sense 1: here the object is the resource being pledged (time, money, oneself), not a wrong act.
常見錯誤
3. saying clearly which side you support or what you have decided, so that other pe
saying clearly which side you support or what you have decided, so that other people can later hold you to that position.
The mayor avoided committing herself on the new housing tax until after the election.
committing oneself on + [issue]
Without committing to a final figure, Rachel said the repair would cost about two thousand dollars.
without committing to + [figure / decision]
Kwame kept committing himself in public to ideas he later wished he had kept quiet about.
Reporters pressed the minister, but she stopped short of committing to any specific reform.
- declare
more public and direct
- go on record
informal; emphasizes statement is now traceable
- hedge
deliberately avoiding a clear position
文法句型
committing + oneself + on / to + [issue / position]
用法筆記
Frequently negated ('avoid committing', 'without committing') because the whole point is that the speaker has not yet said which side they are on. Distinguish from sense 2: there you pledge resources; here you only state a position.
4. making sure that you will not forget something by storing it firmly in your mind
making sure that you will not forget something by storing it firmly in your mind, usually as a fixed phrase 'commit to memory'.
Élise spent the evening committing her wedding speech to memory line by line.
committing + [text] + to memory
Actors often spend weeks committing long passages of Shakespeare to memory before rehearsals start.
committing + [long passages] + to memory
Before the exam, Arjun was committing every chemical formula to memory using flashcards.
The detective wrote the licence plate down so she would not rely on committing it to memory.
- memorize
everyday, neutral equivalent
- learn by heart
informal; emphasizes word-for-word
- forget
direct opposite
文法句型
committing + [thing] + to + memory
用法筆記
Nearly always appears in the fixed phrase 'commit X to memory'. Without 'to memory', this sense is not used.
常見錯誤
5. writing something down on paper, or storing it on a record, so that it is kept s
writing something down on paper, or storing it on a record, so that it is kept safely or so that you cannot deny it later.
Rin spent the long flight committing her travel memories to paper in a small notebook.
committing + [thoughts] + to paper
Before committing the agreement to writing, the lawyer read every line aloud to both parties.
committing + [agreement] + to writing
Jack hesitated for hours before committing his resignation letter to the company email system.
Some thoughts feel safer when you avoid committing them to writing where others might read them.
文法句型
committing + [thoughts / ideas] + to + paper / writing
用法筆記
Common fixed phrases: 'commit to paper', 'commit to writing', 'commit to record'. Carries a slight sense of finality — once written, the words can be checked against you.
6. officially ordering, usually by a court or a doctor, that a person should be loc
officially ordering, usually by a court or a doctor, that a person should be locked up inside a prison or admitted into a psychiatric hospital for treatment.
The court was committing the defendant to a high-security prison for at least eight years.
committing + [person] + to prison
Doctors were considering committing the patient to a psychiatric hospital for his own safety.
committing + [patient] + to + psychiatric hospital
The family fought against committing their elderly father to a state institution far from home.
After a long hearing, the magistrate ended up committing the two teenagers to a youth detention centre.
- send down
British informal; specifically to prison
- institutionalize
specifically into a mental-health institution; can be long-term
- release
official opposite: letting the person leave the institution
文法句型
committing + [person] + to + prison / hospital
用法筆記
Subject is usually an institution acting officially: a court, a judge, a doctor, or a hospital — not a private individual. Frequently passive ('was committed to prison').
7. handing something or someone over into another person's care, trusting them to l
handing something or someone over into another person's care, trusting them to look after it properly.
Before the surgery, Allison was committing her two cats to the care of a trusted neighbor.
committing + [pets / family] + to + [someone's care]
The dying captain was committing his ship and crew to the safe hands of his first officer.
literary register: committing + [responsibility] + to
Kwame was nervous about committing his grandfather's manuscript to a publisher he had never met.
Families have been committing newborn babies to the care of relatives for centuries during hard times.
文法句型
committing + [thing / person] + to + [someone's care]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (pledging time/money to a cause): here the object is a real thing or person being physically or formally handed over to another keeper.