To dedicate means to commit yourself fully to a purpose or goal, giving it your focused time, energy, and effort. When a scientist dedicates years to finding a cure for a disease, she's choosing to pour her talents and hours into that single mission. When you dedicate yourself to learning piano, you practice regularly even when other activities tempt you away from the keyboard.

Dedication means setting something apart as special and worthy of your best effort. An athlete who dedicates himself to his sport wakes up early for training and stays disciplined about nutrition and rest. A writer might dedicate months to researching a single book.

You can also dedicate something to someone as an honor or tribute. Authors often dedicate their books to people who inspired or supported them. A community might dedicate a new library to a beloved teacher, naming it after her to honor her contributions. When a building is officially dedicated, there's often a ceremony marking it as complete and ready to serve its purpose.

Dedication can involve sacrifice: time you could spend on easier or more immediately enjoyable activities. That commitment can help turn ordinary effort into extraordinary achievement.