pledge

pledge — noun

1. a strong and often formal promise to do something or give help, money, or suppor

1.nounB2
Definition

a strong and often formal promise to do something or give help, money, or support, or an object given as proof that such a promise will be kept

Example

During the storm, the mayor made a pledge to rebuild the bridge.

make a pledge to + verb

Each family wrote its pledge of support on the school wall.

pledge of + support

Common collocations
  • make a pledge
  • a pledge of support
  • a campaign pledge
  • keep a pledge
  • charity pledge
Synonyms
  • promise

    the broad everyday word, less formal and less public

  • commitment

    stresses responsibility to carry something through

  • vow

    stronger and more emotional, often personal or moral

  • token

    fits the less common object meaning, not the main promise meaning

Grammar Patterns

make a pledge to + verb

a pledge of + support or money

keep a pledge

Usage Note

Often followed by 'to' plus a verb when the promised action is named, or 'of' plus the thing promised. The object meaning is much less common in modern everyday English than the promise meaning.

Common Mistakes

The group made pledge to clean the beach.
The group made a pledge to clean the beach.
this noun is usually countable in this pattern.
She gave a pledge for support.
She gave a pledge of support.
the noun often takes 'of' before the thing promised.

pledge — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For this sense, pledge is more formal than promise and often sounds public, official, or tied to support, money, or action. Promise is the normal everyday choice for almost any situation. Vow is stronger and more emotional, often used for deeply felt personal or moral decisions. Commit often focuses on giving yourself fully to a plan or cause, even when no public statement is made. Guarantee is different again: it stresses certainty of a result, not mainly the act of giving your word. A mayor may pledge to rebuild a bridge, a friend may promise to call, and a doctor may guarantee that a machine will work properly.

promise ↗vow ↗commit ↗guarantee

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • make a pledge
  • keep a pledge
  • pledge support
  • pledge to help

Prepositions