dedicate

dedicate — verb

1. to choose to spend a significant portion of your time, energy, or other resource

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to choose to spend a significant portion of your time, energy, or other resources on a specific goal or activity because you believe it deserves serious attention

Example

Lauren dedicates two hours every evening to learning Japanese before bed.

dedicate + time + to + gerund

The small charity dedicates most of its funds to helping homeless families find housing.

Common collocations
  • dedicate time
  • dedicate energy
  • dedicate resources
  • dedicate one's life
  • dedicate efforts
  • dedicate a portion of
Synonyms
  • devote

    very similar meaning; 'devote' can feel slightly more emotional or personal

  • commit

    emphasises the promise or decision aspect more than the ongoing effort

  • pledge

    more formal; suggests a public or serious promise to give support

Antonyms
  • neglect

    to fail to give enough attention or time to something

  • abandon

    to stop supporting or working on something entirely

Grammar Patterns

dedicate + noun phrase + to + noun/gerund

dedicate + oneself + to + noun/gerund

Usage Note

Frequently followed by the preposition 'to'. The reflexive pattern 'dedicate oneself to' carries a stronger sense of personal commitment. Common objects include time, life, career, resources, and effort.

Common Mistakes

She dedicates on helping others.
She dedicates herself to helping others.
'dedicate' must pair with 'to', never 'on'.
He dedicated for the project.
He dedicated his time to the project.
an object (time, energy, etc.) is required before 'to'.

2. to add a personal mention at the start of a creative work that identifies who th

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to add a personal mention at the start of a creative work that identifies who the work was made for, usually as a sign of respect or gratitude

Example

The author dedicated her first novel to her grandmother, who taught her to love stories.

dedicate + creative work + to + person

Esteban dedicated his award-winning film to the nurses who had cared for his father.

Common collocations
  • dedicate a book
  • dedicate a song
  • dedicate a film
  • dedicate a performance
  • dedicate a chapter
  • dedicate one's work
Synonyms
  • inscribe

    more specific to writing a dedication in a physical copy; less common for performances

  • offer

    more general; can be used for dedicating a performance without the formal convention

Grammar Patterns

dedicate + noun (creative work) + to + person

Usage Note

The person receiving the dedication is typically named in the front matter of a book or announced verbally during a live performance. Common with creative works such as novels, albums, films, paintings, and academic theses.

Common Mistakes

She dedicated the book for her mother.
She dedicated the book to her mother.
always use the preposition 'to', never 'for'.

3. to perform an official ceremony that declares a building, monument, park, or oth

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to perform an official ceremony that declares a building, monument, park, or other space to be open or set apart for a particular purpose, often a religious or memorial one

Example

The new community centre was dedicated on Saturday by the mayor with many residents watching.

passive: be dedicated

A small garden was dedicated to the children lost in the hospital fire.

Common collocations
  • dedicate a church
  • dedicate a memorial
  • dedicate a building
  • dedicate a park
  • dedicate a monument
Synonyms
  • consecrate

    specifically religious; used for churches, altars, or cemeteries

  • inaugurate

    focuses on the official opening ceremony; less spiritual or memorial in tone

  • bless

    a religious act of asking for divine favour; often shorter and less formal than a dedication

Antonyms
  • deconsecrate

    to remove the sacred status of a religious building or space

Grammar Patterns

be dedicated + to + purpose

dedicate + building + to + person/purpose

Usage Note

Most often used in the passive voice. The ceremony is normally formal and may involve religious leaders, government officials, or a ribbon-cutting. The sense overlaps with 'consecrate' for religious buildings but is broader, covering civic structures such as libraries, parks, and hospitals.

dedicate — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All three words describe giving time or energy to something, but they differ in what they emphasise. 'Dedicate' (the headword) is the most comprehensive — it covers both the decision and the ongoing action, and it often carries emotional weight. 'Devote' is the closest synonym and is largely interchangeable, though 'devote' can feel slightly more personal ('she devoted her life to her children'). 'Commit' focuses on the decision or promise itself rather than the ongoing effort ('the government committed more money to education') — it is less emotional and more about obligation. 'Pledge' is the most formal and public ('the company pledged one million dollars to the project') and implies a specific, often quantifiable promise rather than sustained personal effort. For everyday uses like talking about studying for an exam or training for a sport, 'dedicate' and 'devote' work best; for official or financial promises, 'pledge' is more appropriate; and for decisions about where resources should go, 'commit' fits naturally.

devote ↗commit ↗pledge ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • dedicate oneself to
  • be dedicated to
  • dedicate something to

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'dedicate' entered English in the 1400s from Latin 'dedicatus', the past participle of 'dedicare', which means 'to declare, to set apart'. 'Dedicare' itself is formed from 'de-' (meaning 'down' or 'away') and 'dicere' (meaning 'to say, to proclaim'). The original idea was to 'speak something out loud' as belonging to a particular person or purpose — a sense that connects all three modern meanings: devoting effort (saying your time belongs to a goal), inscribing a work (saying a book is for someone), and opening a building (declaring a space ready for use).