committee

C3O1M3M3I1T1T1E1E1
US, UK/kəˈmɪt.i/South Asia/ˈkə.mɪ.ʈi/South Asia[kɐ.mɪ̈.ʈiˑ]UK/ˌkɒm.ɪˈtiː/

noun

A body of one or more persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose, typically with formal protocols.

“My uncle is on the committee.”

Similar
commissioncitizens committee
Very commonScrabble 15

Meanings

nouncommittee (plural committees)

plural committees · alternative cttee · alternative cmte · alternative cmte. · alternative com · alternative com. · alternative comm · alternative comm.

  1. A body of one or more persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose, typically with formal protocols.

    My uncle is on the committee.

    3 more examples

    And it is further ordained, that the Members of both Houses, that now are Members of the assembly of Divines, or any seven of them, be a standing Committee of both houses of Parliament, to consider the causes of suspension from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, not contained in this Ordinance: unto which Committee any Eldership shall present such causes, to the end that the Parliament, if need require, may heare and determine the same.

    1643, Parliament of England, Ordinance, together with Rules and Directions concerning Suspension from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in cases of Ignorance and Scandall

    The district court, however, denied the Government's motion to dismiss the plaintiffs' claims regarding operation SHAMROCK, because it "thought congressional committees investigating intelligence matters had revealed so much information about operation SHAMROCK that such a disclosure would pose no threat to the NSA mission."

    2006 August 17, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, “Memorandum Opinion”, in ACLU v. NSA, page 6

    For 17 years, I was chairman or ranking member of Senate Judiciary Committee, which overseas nominations to the Court. I presided over nine total nominations—more than anyone alive. Some I supported. Others I didn’t. But every nominee was greeted by committee members. Every nominee got a committee hearing. Every nominee got out of the committee to the Senate floor, even when a nominee did not receive majority support in my committee.

    2016, Joe Biden, Timothy K. Lewis, The Defining Difference
  2. archaicA guardian; someone in charge of another person deemed to be unable to look after themselves.
  3. PakistanalternativeBritish PakistanibusinessAlternative form of kameti.

Synonyms & antonyms

Broader

nouna special group delegated to consider some matter

Similar
Broader
administrative unitadministrative body

nouna self-constituted organization to promote something

Similar
citizens committee
Broader
nongovernmental organizationNGO
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latincommittere
  2. Anglo-Normancommite
  3. Englishcommittee

From commit + -ee, or else revival of Anglo-Norman commite, past participle of commettre (“to commit”), from Latin committere, from con- (“with”) + mittere (“to send”). The OED3 prefers the first etymology.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans komitee
  • komiteegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Arabic لَجْنَة
  • لَجْنَة (lajna)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Bulgarian комите́т, коми́сия
  • комите́т (komitét)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • коми́сия (komísija)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Catalan comitè
  • comitègroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Chinese Cantonese 委員會 /委员会
  • 委員會 /委员会group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Chinese Mandarin 委員會 /委员会
  • 委員會 /委员会 (wěiyuánhuì)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Czech výbor, komise
  • výborgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komisegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Danish komité, komite
  • komitégroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komitegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Dutch comité, commissie
  • comitégroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • commissiegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Esperanto komitato
  • komitatogroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Estonian komitee, komisjon
  • komiteegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komisjongroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Finnish komitea, valiokunta
  • komiteagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • valiokuntagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • toimikuntagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
French comité, commission
  • comitégroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • commissiongroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
German Komitee, Ausschuss
  • Komiteegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • Ausschussgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • Kommissiongroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Greek επιτροπή
  • επιτροπή (epitropí)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Hebrew וְעָדָה
  • וְעָדָה (v'adá)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Hindi समिति, कमेटी
  • समिति (samiti)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • कमेटी (kameṭī)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Hungarian bizottság
  • bizottsággroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Icelandic nefnd
  • nefndgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Indonesian komite, panitia
  • komitegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • panitiagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • paniteragroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Irish coiste
  • coistegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Italian comitato, commissione
  • comitatogroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • commissionegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Japanese 委員会
  • 委員会 (iinkai)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Korean 위원회
  • 위원회 (wiwonhoe)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Latin consilium
  • consiliumgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Latvian komiteja, komisija
  • komitejagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komisijagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Lithuanian komitetas, komisija
  • komitetasgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komisijagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Malay jawatankuasa, panitia
  • jawatankuasagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • panitiagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komitegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komitigroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • lajnahgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Māori komiti
  • komitigroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Norwegian Bokmål komité, komite
  • komitégroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komitegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Polish komitet, komisja
  • komitetgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komisjagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Portuguese comité, comitê
  • comitégroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • comitêgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • comissãogroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Romanian comitet, comisie
  • comitetgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • comisiegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Russian комите́т, коми́ссия
  • комите́т (komitét)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • коми́ссия (komíssija)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Scottish Gaelic comataidh
  • comataidhgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Slovak výbor, komisia
  • výborgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komisiagroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Spanish comité
  • comitégroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Swahili kamati
  • kamatigroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Swedish nämnd, kommitté
  • nämndgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • kommittégroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • utskottgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Thai คณะกรรมการ
  • คณะกรรมการ (ká-ná-gam-má-gaan)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Turkish kurul, komite
  • kurulgroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • komitegroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Ukrainian коміте́т, комі́сія
  • коміте́т (komitét)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • комі́сія (komísija)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Urdu مَجْلِس, اَنْجُمَن
  • مَجْلِس (majlis)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • اَنْجُمَن (anjuman)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
  • کَمیٹی (kameṭī)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Vietnamese uỷ ban
  • uỷ bangroup of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose
Yiddish קאָמיטעט
  • קאָמיטעט (komitet)group of persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with committee

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

committee. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/committee

MLA

“committee.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/committee. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “committee,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/committee.

Source: committee on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.