# committal

/kəˈmɪtəɫ/ (US) · /kəmˈɪtəl/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/committal
Updated: 2026-10-16

## Definition

a court order that sends someone to prison or to hospital for care, or sends a case to a higher court.

For teachers: a formal judicial order sending a person to prison or psychiatric care, or transferring a criminal case to a higher court for trial.

## Examples

- The judge orders his committal to prison for a month.
- After the hearing, the court approved her committal for trial at the higher court next month.
- The lawyer challenged the committal proceedings, arguing that the evidence did not justify sending the case to a higher court.

## Usage notes

- Often followed by 'to' for custody ('committal to prison') or 'for' for trial ('committal for trial').

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.