pledge

7 definitions • 19 examples

a serious or formal promise, especially one to give money or to be a friend, or something that you give as a sign that you will keep a promise:

[ + to infinitive ] All the candidates have given/made pledges not to raise taxes if they are elected.

Thousands of people made pledges (= promised to give money) to the charity campaign.

I give you this ring as a pledge of my everlasting love for you.

to make a serious or formal promise to give or do something:

We are asking people to pledge their support for our campaign.

If you join the armed forces, you have to pledge allegiance to your country.

So far, £50,000 has been pledged (= people have promised to pay this amount) in response to the appeal.

[ + to infinitive ] Both sides have pledged to end the fighting.

I've been pledged to secrecy.

a formal promise, or something that is given as a sign that you will keep a promise:

a pledge of friendship

The telethon raised $150,000 in pledges for leukemia research.

to make a formal promise to do something:

pledge to do sth The UK chief executive has pledged to slash costs by £150m a year by 2014.

pledge $32m/£100,000, etc. to/for sth EU leaders pledged $1.2 billion to the region over the next 18 months.

pledge that sth He pledged that a reduction in the burden of taxation will become the central economic objective of the government.

to give something valuable to a person or organization that has lent you money, which they can keep if you fail to pay back the loan:

pledge sth as collateral/security Shares are frequently pledged as collateral for loans.

a formal promise to do something:

a campaign/election/manifesto pledge

a pledge to do sth Analysts warn that OPEC's pledge to ramp up oil production in order to ease record crude prices will not have the desired effect.

make/honour/sign a pledge Campaigners have accused Congress of failing to honour its US funding pledges.

a pledge that sth Their goal of increasing electricity production from renewables by 40% has been reinforced by a pledge that they will not support further development of nuclear power.

something valuable that is given to a person or organization that has lent you money, which they can keep if you fail to pay back the loan:

Serious financial irregularities took place, including the pledge of already paid-for securities.