- to set apart and consecrate to a deity or to a sacred purpose: The ancient Greeks dedicated many shrines to Aphrodite.
- to devote wholly and earnestly, as to some person or purpose: He dedicated his life to fighting corruption.
- to offer formally (a book, piece of music, etc.) to a person, cause, or the like in testimony of affection or respect, as on a prefatory page.
- (loosely) to inscribe a personal signature on (a book, drawing, etc., that is one's own work), usually with a salutation addressing the recipient.
- to mark the official completion or opening of (a public building, monument, highway, etc.), usually by formal ceremonies.
- to set aside for or assign to a specific function, task, or purpose: The county health agency has dedicated one inspector to monitor conditions in nursing homes.
Origin of dedicate
Synonyms for dedicateSee more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com
Related Words for dedicateapportion, give, devote, restrict, allot, apply, commit, assign, consecrate, pledge, offer, inscribe, consign, appropriate, address, surrender, bless, hallow, anoint
Examples from the Web for dedicate
Contemporary Examples of dedicate
Decide as a family to share cooking responsibilities and dedicate enough time for healthy meals.Meet the Chef Fighting to Ensure That Brazilians Will Never Be as Fat as Americans
June 25, 2014
Perhaps Ham will dedicate a plank in the replica ark to his bowtied benefactor.The Bill Nye-Ken Ham Debate Was a Nightmare for Science
February 5, 2014
Haley: Do you intend to dedicate the rest of your life, then, to the Negro cause?Alex Haley’s 1965 Playboy Interview with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
January 19, 2014
During his college days at Boston University, he decided to dedicate his life to comedy.Meet Marc Maron: the Comedic Podcast Giant on His New IFC Show & More
May 3, 2013
Now the correspondents brazenly asked the president for permission to “dedicate it to your excellency.”How a Racist Newspaper Defeated Lincoln in New York in the 1864 Election
May 2, 2013
Historical Examples of dedicate
To dedicate the chapel to her patron saint was only natural.Byzantine Churches in Constantinople
Alexander Van Millingen
If a man should dedicate himself to the payment of notes, would not this be injustice?Essays, First Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Such is the discourse, half playful, half serious, which I dedicate to the god.Symposium
You must dedicate this morning to me: it's the last, you know.
He has told me of your days in South America together and how he told you to dedicate it.David Dunne
Belle Kanaris Maniates
- (often foll by to) to devote (oneself, one's time, etc) wholly to a special purpose or cause; commit wholeheartedly or unreservedly
- (foll by to) to address or inscribe (a book, artistic performance, etc) to a person, cause, etc as a token of affection or respect
- (foll by to) to request or play (a record) on radio for another person as a greeting
- to assign or allocate to a particular project, function, etc
- to set apart for a deity or for sacred uses; consecrate
- an archaic word for dedicated