ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dedicated to sth

prep. phr..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. to use all your time, effort, or a specific thing for one particular purpose or person.

prep. phr.. functioning as an adjectival phrase to indicate that a resource, person, or object is exclusively committed to a specific task, entity, or goal.


SIMPLE

This room is dedicated to private study.

CONTEXTUAL

The charity is dedicated to helping homeless people find permanent housing in the city.

COMPLEX

The final chapter of the biography is dedicated to the artist's later years, focusing on her transition from painting to sculpture.

Usage

the 'to' is a preposition, so it must be followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form).

Teaching tip

highlight that 'to' is not part of an infinitive here; students often mistakenly say 'dedicated to help' instead of 'dedicated to helping'.

Pitfall

He is dedicated to finish the project.He is dedicated to finishing the project.the word 'to' is a preposition in this phrase, so it requires a gerund (-ing) rather than a base verb.

© 2026 English Reference