/ kəˈmend; NAmE / verb [ vn ]
1.
commend sb (for sth / for doing sth) | commend sb (on sth / on doing sth) to praise sb/sth, especially publicly :
She was commended on her handling of the situation.
His designs were highly commended by the judges (= they did not get a prize but they were especially praised) .
2.
commend sb/sth (to sb) ( formal ) to recommend sb/sth to sb :
She is an excellent worker and I commend her to you without reservation.
The movie has little to commend it (= it has few good qualities) .
3.
( formal ) if sth commends itself to sb, they approve of it :
His outspoken behaviour did not commend itself to his colleagues.
4.
commend sb/sth to sb ( formal ) to give sb/sth to sb in order to be taken care of :
We commend her soul to God.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Latin commendare , from com- (expressing intensive force) + mandare commit, entrust. Compare with command .