committee
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com·mit·tee
(kə-mĭt′ē)n.
1. A group of people officially delegated to perform a function, such as investigating, considering, reporting, or acting on a matter. See Usage Note at collective noun.
2. Archaic A person to whom a trust or charge is committed.
[From Middle English committe, trustee, from Anglo-Norman comité, past participle of cometre, to commit, from Latin committere; see commit.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
committee
n
1. a group of people chosen or appointed to perform a specified service or function
2. (Law) (formerly) a person to whom the care of a mentally incompetent person or his or her property was entrusted by a court. See also receiver2
[C15: from committen to entrust + -ee]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
com•mit•tee
(kəˈmɪt i)n.
1. a group of persons elected or appointed to perform some service or function, as to investigate or act upon a particular matter.
2. an individual to whom the care of a person or a person's estate is committed.
com•mit′tee•ship`, n.
usage: See collective noun.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Committee
a group of people appointed or elected to administer, discuss, or make reports concerning a subject on which its members are authorities.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
committee
A committee is a group of people who represent a larger group or organization and who make decisions or plans on behalf of that group or organization.
A special committee has been set up.
In British English, you can use either a singular or plural form of a verb after committee.
Since 1963 the Committee has struggled, unable to shake off its weaknesses.
The National Executive Committee have their travelling expenses paid.
Note that American speakers usually use only a singular verb form with committee.
The North American planning committee has recommended 28 possible topics.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  committee - a special group delegated to consider some matter; "a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours" - Milton Berleadministrative body, administrative unit - a unit with administrative responsibilities Economic and Social Council commission, ECOSOC commission - a commission of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations blue ribbon commission, blue ribbon committee - an independent and exclusive commission of nonpartisan statesmen and experts formed to investigate some important governmental issue board - a committee having supervisory powers; "the board has seven members" election commission - a commission delegated to supervise an election fairness commission - a commission delegated to ensure opportunities for the expression of opposing views planning commission - a commission delegated to propose plans for future activities and developments conservancy - a commission with jurisdiction over fisheries and navigation in a port or river select committee - a parliamentary committee appointed for some special purpose subcommittee - a subset of committee members organized for a specific purpose standing committee - a permanent committee steering committee - a committee to arrange the order of business for some larger (legislative) body ethics committee, ethics panel - a committee appointed to consider ethical issues finance committee - a committee appointed to consider financial issues politburo - the chief executive and political committee of the Communist Party PAC, political action committee - committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates praesidium, presidium - a permanent executive committee in socialist countries that has all the powers of some larger legislative body and that acts for it when it is not in session zoning commission - a commission delegated to supervise the zoning of areas for residential or commercial use vestry - in the Protestant Episcopal Church: a committee elected by the congregation to work with the churchwardens in managing the temporal affairs of the church commissioner - a member of a commission committee member - a member of a committee |
| 2. | committee - a self-constituted organization to promote something NGO, nongovernmental organization - an organization that is not part of the local or state or federal government vigilance committee - a volunteer committee to maintain order where an efficient legal system does not exist welcoming committee - a committee to welcome new residents to a community |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
committee
noun group, commission, panel, delegation, subcommittee, deputation My report was circulated to all committee members.
Quotations
"a group of men who individually can do nothing but as a group decide that nothing can be done" [attributed to Fred Allen]
"a group of the unwilling, chosen from the unfit, to do the unnecessary" [Richard Harkness]
"Committees are to get everybody together and homogenize their thinking" [Art Linkletter A Child's Garden of Misinformation]
"a group of men who individually can do nothing but as a group decide that nothing can be done" [attributed to Fred Allen]
"a group of the unwilling, chosen from the unfit, to do the unnecessary" [Richard Harkness]
"Committees are to get everybody together and homogenize their thinking" [Art Linkletter A Child's Garden of Misinformation]
Proverbs
"A committee is a group of men who keep minutes and waste hours"
"A committee is a group of men who keep minutes and waste hours"
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
لـَجْنَةلَجْنَه
комисиякомитет
výborkomise
komitéudvalg
komitea
povjerenstvo
bizottság
nefnd
委員会
위원회
komitetas
komitejakomitejas-
výborvýborový
odbor
kommitté
คณะกรรมการ
ủy ban
committee
[kəˈmɪtɪ]A. N → comité m, comisión f
to be or sit on a committee → ser miembro de un comité
committee of inquiry (Parl) → comisión f investigadora
see also executive C
see also management B
to be or sit on a committee → ser miembro de un comité
committee of inquiry (Parl) → comisión f investigadora
see also executive C
see also management B
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
committee
[kəˈmɪti] n → comité m, commission fto be on a committee → faire partie d'un comité, faire partie d'une commissioncommittee meeting n → réunion f de comité, réunion f de commission
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
committee
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
committee
[kəˈmɪtɪ] n takes sg or pl vb → comitato, commissione f (Parliament) → commissionecommittee of inquiry → commissione d'inchiesta
to be on a committee → far parte di un comitato or di una commissione
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
committee
(kəˈmiti) noun or noun plural a number of persons, selected from a larger body, to deal with some special business, eg the running of the larger body's affairs. The committee meet(s) today; (also adjective) a committee meeting.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
committee
→ لـَجْنَة výbor komité Ausschuss επιτροπή comité komitea comité povjerenstvo comitato 委員会 위원회 commissie komité komitet comité, comitê комитет kommitté คณะกรรมการ komite ủy ban 委员会Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009