Meaning & use
commit to memory
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiomformal
To learn something so well that you can remember it exactly without looking at it.
Grammar: Takes an object between commit and to memory: she committed the poem to memory.
Patterns
- commit something to memory
The students had to commit the poem to memory.
He tried to commit the phone number to memory before leaving.
Pilots commit emergency procedures to memory.
Word forms
| third person singular | commits to memory |
|---|---|
| past tense | committed to memory |
| past participle | committed to memory |
| -ing form | committing to memory |
Common combinations
- commit a poem to memory
- She committed the whole poem to memory.
- commit a face to memory
- The detective committed the suspect's face to memory.
- commit a route to memory
- He committed the route to memory before the hike.
- easy to commit to memory
- The tune was easy to commit to memory.
- commit facts to memory
- Students commit facts to memory before an exam.
Synonyms and how they differ
- memorize
- Memorize is plainer and more common, while commit to memory sounds more formal and deliberate.
- learn by heart
- Learn by heart often refers to poems, songs or lines, and sounds warmer and more personal.
- learn off
- Learn off is informal and used in Ireland, with a feeling of study for tests.
- memorise
- Memorise is the British spelling of memorize.
Opposites
Word family
- memory noun
- the ability to remember
- memorize verb
- to learn so as to remember exactly
- memorization noun
- the act of learning by heart
- memorable adjective
- easy to remember or worth remembering
Commonly confused: commit to memory or commit to?
commit to memory vs commit to
Commit to something means to promise to do it. Commit to memory is about learning something, not making a promise.
Practice
The actors had to ___ their lines to memory before opening night.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is commit something to memory. The other verbs do not make this idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “commit to memory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.