/ pledʒ; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
pledge (to do sth) a serious promise
SYN commitment :
a pledge of support
Will the government honour its election pledge not to raise taxes?
Management has given a pledge that there will be no job losses this year.
2.
a sum of money or sth valuable that you leave with sb to prove that you will do sth or pay back money that you owe
•
IDIOMS
- sign / take the pledge
■ verb
1.
pledge sth (to sb/sth) to formally promise to give or do sth :
[ vn ]
Japan has pledged $100 million in humanitarian aid.
The government pledged their support for the plan.
We all had to pledge allegiance to the flag (= state that we are loyal to our country) .
[ v to inf ]
The group has pledged to continue campaigning.
[ v ( that )]
The group has pledged that they will continue campaigning.
2.
pledge sb / yourself (to sth) to make sb or yourself formally promise to do sth
SYN swear :
[ vn ]
They were all pledged to secrecy.
[ vn to inf ]
The government has pledged itself to root out corruption.
3.
[ vn ] to leave sth with sb as a pledge (2)
4.
( NAmE ) to promise to become a junior member of a fraternity or sorority :
[ v ]
Do you think you'll pledge this semester?
[ vn ]
My brother pledged Sigma Nu.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (denoting a person acting as surety for another): from Old French plege , from medieval Latin plebium , perhaps related to the Germanic base of plight (verb).