Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A solemn binding promise to do, give, or refrain from doing something.
- noun Something given or held as security to guarantee payment of a debt or fulfillment of an obligation.
- noun The condition of something thus given or held.
- noun Delivery of goods or personal property as security for a debt or obligation.
- noun The contract or transaction stipulating or involving such delivery.
- noun A token or sign.
- noun A person who has been accepted for membership in a fraternity or similar organization and has promised to join but has not yet been initiated.
- noun The act of drinking in honor of someone; a toast.
- noun A vow to abstain from alcoholic liquor.
- intransitive verb To offer or guarantee by a solemn binding promise: synonym: promise.
- intransitive verb To bind or secure by a pledge or promise: synonym: devote.
- intransitive verb To deposit as security; pawn.
- intransitive verb To promise to join (a fraternity or similar organization).
- intransitive verb To accept as a prospective member of such an organization.
- intransitive verb To drink a toast to.
- intransitive verb To make a solemn binding promise; swear.
- intransitive verb To drink a toast.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To give as a pledge or pawn; deposit in pawn; deposit or leave in possession of a person as security. See
pledge , n. - To give or formally and solemnly offer as a guaranty or security.
- To bind to something by a pledge, promise, or engagement; engage solemnly: as, to
pledge one's self. - To guarantee the performance of by or as by a pledge.
- To give assurance of friendship to, or promise friendship to, by or in the act of drinking; hence, to drink a health to or with.
- To assure solemnly or in a binding manner; guarantee.
- = Syn. 1-3. To pawn, hypothecate. See
plight , verb - noun In law: A person who goes surety or gives bail for another; especially, a surety whom early English law required of a plaintiff on bringing an action. After a time “John Doe” and “Richard Roe” did duty as such pledges.
- noun A bailment of personal property as a security for some debt or engagement. Story, J.
- noun Anything given or considered as security for the performance of an act; a guaranty.
- noun Figuratively, a child; offspring.
- noun A surety; a hostage.
- noun A formal obligation whereby one voluntarily binds himself to abstain from the use of intoxicating drink.
- noun A token or sign of favor, agreement, etc.
- noun An expression of good will, or a promise of friendship and support, conveyed by drinking together; hence, in a more general sense, the act of drinking together; the drinking of a health.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To deposit, as a chattel, in pledge or pawn; to leave in possession of another as security.
- transitive verb To give or pass as a security; to guarantee; to engage; to plight.
- transitive verb obsolete To secure performance of, as by a pledge.
- transitive verb To bind or engage by promise or declaration; to engage solemnly.
- transitive verb To invite another to drink, by drinking of the cup first, and then handing it to him, as a pledge of good will; hence, to drink the health of; to toast.
- noun (Law) The transfer of possession of personal property from a debtor to a creditor as security for a debt or engagement; also, the contract created between the debtor and creditor by a thing being so delivered or deposited, forming a species of bailment; also, that which is so delivered or deposited; something put in pawn.
- noun (Old Eng. Law) A person who undertook, or became responsible, for another; a bail; a surety; a hostage.
- noun A hypothecation without transfer of possession.
- noun Anything given or considered as a security for the performance of an act; a guarantee.
- noun A promise or agreement by which one binds one's self to do, or to refrain from doing, something; especially, a solemn promise in writing to refrain from using intoxicating liquors or the like
- noun A sentiment to which assent is given by drinking one's health; a toast; a health.
- noun (Law) A mortgage. See
Mortgage . - noun (Law) The conveyance of an estate to another for money borrowed, to be held by him until the debt is paid out of the rents and profits.
- noun to keep as security.
- noun to pawn; to give as security.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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What's a pledge defined without using the word pledge recursivel y?
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com The Huffington Post News Editors 2011
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Finally, Goosby says the pledge is a way of showing what he calls “continued U.S. leadership to the ultimate measure of success – increasing the number of lives saved.”
US Pledges $4 Billion to Global AIDS Fund Over Three Years 2010
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Whether Republicans can follow through on their pledge is another question.
How The GOP Plans To Run The House The Huffington Post News Team 2010
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This would be a great idea were it not for the fact that the person behind this pledge is the Green candidate who tried to disrupt a visit from the Leader of the Lib Dems to Norwich at the last general election.
The Tory plan in Norwich North revealed Norfolk Blogger 2009
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This would be a great idea were it not for the fact that the person behind this pledge is the Green candidate who tried to disrupt a visit from the Leader of the Lib Dems to Norwich at the last general election.
Archive 2009-07-01 Norfolk Blogger 2009
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But living well with diabetes is a long-term process, not a short term pledge of perfection.
New Harbinger: Paula Deen: From Extreme to Mindful Eating New Harbinger 2012
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Mr Cameron's decision to drop the pledge is aimed at being able to avoid the "tax bombshell" he says would follow plans for big borrowing rises.
Archive 2008-11-01 Not a sheep 2008
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In other words, McCain's taking a one term pledge and Palin would be his successor in '12?
Top McCain Adviser: Palin Will Learn National Security From McCain Before He Keels Over 2009
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Nope, he is predicting a one term pledge, which I bet he announces tonight as well.
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Ok, why would a one term pledge terrify the electorate?
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