Word
committee
Phoneticscom·mit·tee
/kəˈmɪti/
Definition
n. a group of people chosen to do a job, make decisions, or find information for a larger group.
n. a formal body of persons delegated to consider, investigate, take action on, or report on some matter.
Examples
“The committee meets every Tuesday morning.”
“The finance committee rejected the proposal because the projected costs were too high for the current budget.”
“After months of deliberation, the steering committee published a comprehensive report outlining the necessary structural reforms for the upcoming fiscal year.”
Examples
simple
“The committee meets every Tuesday morning.”
contextual
“The finance committee rejected the proposal because the projected costs were too high for the current budget.”
complex
“After months of deliberation, the steering committee published a comprehensive report outlining the necessary structural reforms for the upcoming fiscal year.”
Usage
In British English, it can take a singular or plural verb; in American English, it almost always takes a singular verb.
Teaching tip
Learners often struggle with subject-verb agreement for collective nouns like this. In the UK, 'the committee are' is common, but 'the committee is' is safer for international exams.
Real-World Examples
“The AERA committee was recalled to discuss the incident, and quiz the minister and veterinary officials.” “The committee organised the 1919 eclipse expeditions to Príncipe island, off west Africa, and Brazil that changed science for ever.” “In January, MPs on the Health Committee described the backslide as "national disgrace".” “Speaking on the picket line at the RVH on Monday, Dr Steven Montgomery, chairman of the BMA's Northern Ireland resident doctors committee, said everyone is "furious at the situation".” Etymology
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/committee