commitment ceremony

American  

[kuh-mit-muhnt ser-uh-moh-nee] / kəˈmɪt mənt ˌsɛr əˌmoʊ ni /

noun

1. a ceremony and celebration that affirms the love and commitment between two people who cannot or do not want to marry each other, typically a same-sex couple.

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Etymology

Origin of commitment ceremony

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

We know “To T, or not to T?” has a happy ending, because it begins at D’Lo’s 2015 commitment ceremony to his partner, two months after starting testosterone therapy.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2022

Together for half a century, they held a commitment ceremony in 1996 and were married in 2013, after same-sex marriage was legalized in the District.

From Washington Post • Aug. 27, 2021

Close, anyway: commitment ceremony, just a few relatives.

From New York Times • Jan. 3, 2020

I’d planned to kick off the season by visiting my parents in Jersey and giving a speech at my friends’ commitment ceremony in Brooklyn.

From Slate • Oct. 10, 2019

About 10 years later they had a commitment ceremony to celebrate their relationship.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2017