1
as in commits
to obligate by prior agreement
I would love to go to dinner with you, but I've pledged myself to a play with my parents that night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deposits
to leave as a guarantee of repayment of a loan
pledged their house against the loan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in promises
to make a solemn declaration of intent
I pledge that I will abide by all of the rules of this organization
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in guarantees
something given or held to assure that the giver will keep a promise
I was required to leave my keys as a pledge that I would bring the car back
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in vows
a person's solemn declaration that he or she will do or not do something
made a pledge to quit smoking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pledges
Stacey Vanek Smith, Bloomberg, 23 Apr. 2026
Beyond a glaring betrayal of the medium the Drafthouse once sought to exalt, the QR policy single-handedly reduces the theater from a sacred space to just another room, which is an illusion that even AMC nominally pledges to maintain.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026
Probation submitted a corrective action plan to the BSCC in March that pledges to expand oversight.
—Jason Henry, Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Google pledges that, as soon as 2030, its data centers will use only carbon-free electricity.
—Arik Levinson, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Going 3 for 20 with runners in scoring position is not going to cut it, especially on the road, where Schaeffer pledges that the Rockies are going to be a running team.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
Doesn’t Lee know our guy only pledges allegiance to his wife?
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Reilly pledges to work with the Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey to repeal or reform the Illinois Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today, or SAFE-T Act.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Andres Chait pledges continuity and a focus on students as LAUSD grapples with an FBI investigation into Alberto Carvalho.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2026
The international organization disbanded its KU chapter in 2018 after a scandal where pledges were urinated on, spat on and hit repeatedly for coming forward with hazing reports, according to a story in The Kansan, the university newspaper.
—Matthew Kelly
april 23, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Major tech companies that have made carbon reduction pledges in recent years have acknowledged that the AI infrastructure build-out is hampering their goals.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 22 Apr. 2026
The jogathon was organized with help from the fifth grade leadership team and students collected pledges and took to the track to log their laps to raise dollars.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
The pledges are widely expected to boost European firms’ bottom lines, with regionally headquartered companies already reporting record order backlogs and huge upswings in income over the past year.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
The pledges had to fight him, almost choke him out.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
But the plan was laced with pledges to protect the environment.
—Todd Richmond, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
In 2022, President Joe Biden made multiple pledges to back the island if attacked.
—Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
Trump’s nominee pledges less transparency around how the central bank interprets economic data.
—Stacey Vanek Smith, Bloomberg, 23 Apr. 2026
Beyond a glaring betrayal of the medium the Drafthouse once sought to exalt, the QR policy single-handedly reduces the theater from a sacred space to just another room, which is an illusion that even AMC nominally pledges to maintain.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026
Probation submitted a corrective action plan to the BSCC in March that pledges to expand oversight.
—Jason Henry, Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Google pledges that, as soon as 2030, its data centers will use only carbon-free electricity.
—Arik Levinson, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Going 3 for 20 with runners in scoring position is not going to cut it, especially on the road, where Schaeffer pledges that the Rockies are going to be a running team.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
Doesn’t Lee know our guy only pledges allegiance to his wife?
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Reilly pledges to work with the Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey to repeal or reform the Illinois Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today, or SAFE-T Act.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Andres Chait pledges continuity and a focus on students as LAUSD grapples with an FBI investigation into Alberto Carvalho.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
Ideologically, Massie resembled the dozens of Republicans who had recently arrived in the House; many were relative newcomers to politics who had run on pledges to cut taxes and spending, and to aggressively oppose the Obama administration.
—Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2026
The international organization disbanded its KU chapter in 2018 after a scandal where pledges were urinated on, spat on and hit repeatedly for coming forward with hazing reports, according to a story in The Kansan, the university newspaper.
—Matthew Kelly
april 23, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Major tech companies that have made carbon reduction pledges in recent years have acknowledged that the AI infrastructure build-out is hampering their goals.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 22 Apr. 2026
The jogathon was organized with help from the fifth grade leadership team and students collected pledges and took to the track to log their laps to raise dollars.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
The pledges are widely expected to boost European firms’ bottom lines, with regionally headquartered companies already reporting record order backlogs and huge upswings in income over the past year.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
The pledges had to fight him, almost choke him out.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
But the plan was laced with pledges to protect the environment.
—Todd Richmond, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026
In 2022, President Joe Biden made multiple pledges to back the island if attacked.
—Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pledges
Verb
-
If an undocumented immigrant commits a crime, he or she will be held in the county jail and turned over to the federal government.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The vision commits the Aviation Authority to pursue a 5-star Skytrax rating, which signals investment in cleanliness, service quality, passenger flow and amenity standards that travelers will feel.—
Lance Lyttle,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In less than 10 minutes, a wooden bridge deposits us on the doorstep of a cinematic landscape that unfurls into a seemingly endless patchwork of rolling hills and glens in hues of umber, cinnamon, and ochre, flanked by mountains standing sentinel on either side.—
Jen Murphy,
Robb Report,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Commuter trains run from Washington’s Union Station to Baltimore’s Camden Station, which deposits fans right outside Oriole Park at Camden Yards.—
Fritz Hahn,
Washington Post,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
However, the new approach promises to overcome this problem.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
-
There’s no warmth in this movie, which is drained of emotional affect despite the galvanizing filmmaking that potentially promises otherwise.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This is not an area where spending more guarantees better results.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The reality is that the United States cannot permanently end this war without making bold decisions that leave no party satisfied but that offer guarantees to permanently end the fighting.—
Alexander Langlois,
Oc Register,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The pro football player, 28, and his wife, 24, exchanged vows underneath a marble dome surrounded by blush-toned blooms, set directly in front of a lake fountain.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Augustinians also take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Those are the players in recent memory who’ve commanded the kind of draft capital that reshapes franchises — the sort of seismic move that mortgages a future and, in return, attaches expectations normally reserved for franchise-carrying superstars.—
Kristian Winfield,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The latter swears an oath to uphold the laws of this country and to preserve and safeguard the Constitution.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The latter swears an oath to uphold the laws of this country and to preserve and safeguard the Constitution.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
He was convicted on all charges, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, commodities fraud, and money laundering.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Then there’s the comprehensive dismantling of the federal government’s oversight of cryptocurrencies, in which the Biden administration treated crypto as securities subject to SEC regulation.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pledges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pledges. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
