dedicate
verb
Simple meaning
Set apart to sacred uses with solemn rites, of a church.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dehduhkaytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdɛdəkeɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Inscribe or address by way of compliment
“She dedicated her book to her parents.”
Set apart to sacred uses with solemn rites, of a church
transitive
To set apart for a special use.
transitive
To address or inscribe (a literary work, for example) to another as a mark of respect or affection.
Open to public use, as of a highway, park, or building
“The Beauty Queen spends her time dedicating parks and nursing homes.”
transitive
To show to the public for the first time.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Set apart to sacred uses with solemn rites, of a church
Used this way, dedicate is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a religious use: it carries the weight of tradition and ceremony.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Formal and ceremonial
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Where it naturally appears
- Religion/spirituality
- Historical writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Inscribe / addressverb
“She dedicated her book to her parents.”
Openverb
“The Beauty Queen spends her time dedicating parks and nursing homes.”
More ways to use dedicate
- “She dedicated her book to her parents.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A file server that can be used only as a file server.
A file server that can be used simultaneously as a workstation.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “dedicate” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.