Committee vs. Club — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on August 25, 2023
A committee is a group of individuals tasked with specific functions or decision-making, while a club is an association of people with shared interests or activities.
Difference Between Committee and Club
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A committee is typically formed within an organization to focus on specific tasks or issues. Their primary function is to deliberate, make decisions, or offer recommendations on particular subjects. A club, on the other hand, is a voluntary gathering of individuals who share a common interest or hobby, and it is primarily for social or recreational purposes.
The structure of a committee usually revolves around formal procedures, agendas, and defined roles for its members. They might have regular meetings to discuss and handle the matters assigned to them. Conversely, a club might be less formal, with activities centered around mutual enjoyment or shared pursuits, like reading, sports, or arts.
Committees can be temporary or permanent. A temporary committee might be established to oversee a specific event or handle an urgent issue, and it disbands after its purpose is met. Clubs tend to have a more consistent presence, meeting regularly based on shared interests and often having membership fees or dues.
In terms of governance, committees often operate under the authority of a larger body or organization, adhering to its rules and guidelines. A club, however, usually functions independently with its own set of rules and by-laws, established by its members.
Membership in a committee is often based on expertise, role in an organization, or specific criteria relevant to the committee's purpose. Club membership is generally open to anyone interested in its activities or theme, although there can be criteria or fees involved.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Purpose
Deliberation, decision-making
Social, recreational
Structure
Formal procedures, defined roles
Less formal, based on shared interests
Duration
Can be temporary or permanent
Typically consistent presence
Governance
Under a larger organization
Functions independently
Membership Criteria
Expertise, role, specific criteria
Interest in activities, may have fees or dues
Compare with Definitions
Committee
A group assigned to investigate or decide on a specific matter.
The committee reviewed the new proposal thoroughly.
Club
An association of individuals with a shared interest.
She joined a chess club at her school.
Committee
A body of people with a formal organizational structure.
The executive committee meets every month.
Club
A place where members gather for specific activities.
They went to the club for a night of dancing.
Committee
A subset within an organization with a designated function.
The marketing committee introduced the new campaign.
Club
A heavy stick used as a weapon.
He wielded a club to fend off the attacker.
Committee
An assembly called to address certain issues or topics.
The committee for ethics ensured transparency.
Club
A group of people organized for a common purpose, especially a group that meets regularly
A garden club.
Committee
A group with decision-making authority in particular areas.
The budget committee approved the financial plans.
Club
(intransitive) To pay an equal or proportionate share of a common charge or expense.
Committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to an assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly.
Club
To turn the breech of (a musket) uppermost, so as to use it as a club.
Committee
A body of one or more persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose, typically with formal protocols.
Club
A building occupied by a club;
The clubhouse needed a new roof
Committee
A group of people appointed for a specific function by a larger group and typically consisting of members of that group
A committee meeting
The housing committee
Club
One of the four suits in a conventional pack of playing cards, denoted by a black trefoil.
Committee
A person entrusted with the charge of another person or another person's property.
Club
Go out to nightclubs
She enjoys going clubbing in Oxford
Committee
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.
Club
To go to or frequent nightclubs
Was out all night clubbing.
Committee
(Archaic) A person to whom a trust or charge is committed.
Club
An association of members joining together for some common purpose, especially sports or recreation.
Committee
(archaic) A guardian; someone in charge of another person deemed to be unable to look after themself.
Club
A playing card marked with such a symbol.
I've got only one club in my hand.
Committee
One or more persons elected or appointed, to whom any matter or business is referred, either by a legislative body, or by a court, or by any collective body of men acting together.
Club
(military) To throw, or allow to fall, into confusion.
Committee
One to whom the charge of the person or estate of another, as of a lunatic, is committed by suitable authority; a guardian.
Club
To pay on equal or proportionate share of a common charge or expense; to pay for something by contribution.
The owl, the raven, and the bat,Clubbed for a feather to his hat.
Committee
A special group delegated to consider some matter;
A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours
Club
A team of professional baseball players who play and travel together;
Each club played six home games with teams in its own division
Committee
A self-constituted organization to promote something
Club
Golf equipment used by a golfer to hit a golf ball
Club
Strike with a club or a bludgeon
Club
An association dedicated to a particular interest or activity
I belong to a photographic club
The club secretary
Club
An organization constituted to play matches in a particular sport
A football club
Club
A nightclub playing fashionable dance music
The club scene
Club
A heavy stick with a thick end, used as a weapon
They beat him with a wooden club
Club
Combine with others so as to collect a sum of money for a particular purpose
Friends and colleagues clubbed together to buy him a present
Club
Beat (a person or animal) with a club or similar implement
The islanders clubbed whales to death
Club
A stout heavy stick, usually thicker at one end, suitable for use as a weapon; a cudgel.
Club
An implement used in some games to drive a ball, especially a stick with a protruding head used in golf.
Club
Something resembling a club.
Club
A black figure shaped like a trefoil or clover leaf on certain playing cards.
Club
A playing card with this figure.
Club
Clubs (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The suit of cards represented by this figure.
Club
The building, room, or other facility used for the meetings of an organized group.
Club
(Sports) An athletic team or organization.
Club
A nightclub.
Club
To strike or beat with a club or similar implement.
Club
To use (a firearm) as a club by holding the barrel and hitting with the butt end.
Club
To gather or combine (hair, for example) into a clublike mass.
Club
To contribute (money or resources) to a joint or common purpose.
Club
To join or combine for a common purpose; form a club.
Club
(archaic) The fees associated with belonging to such a club.
Club
A heavy object, often a kind of stick, intended for use as a bludgeoning weapon or a plaything.
Club
An implement to hit the ball in certain ball games, such as golf.
Club
A joint charge of expense, or any person's share of it; a contribution to a common fund.
Club
An establishment that provides staged entertainment, often with food and drink, such as a nightclub.
She was sitting in a jazz club, sipping wine and listening to a bass player's solo.
Club
A black clover shape (♣), one of the four symbols used to mark the suits of playing cards.
Club
(humorous) Any set of people with a shared characteristic.
You also hate Night Court?
Join the club.
Michael stood you up?
Welcome to the club.
Club
(intransitive) To join together to form a group.
Club
To combine into a club-shaped mass.
A medical condition with clubbing of the fingers and toes
Club
(intransitive) To go to nightclubs.
We went clubbing in Ibiza.
When I was younger, I used to go clubbing almost every night.
Club
(transitive) To raise, or defray, by a proportional assessment.
To club the expense
Club
(nautical) To drift in a current with an anchor out.
Club
(transitive) To unite, or contribute, for the accomplishment of a common end.
To club exertions
Club
A heavy staff of wood, usually tapering, and wielded with the hand; a weapon; a cudgel.
But make you ready your stiff bats and clubs;Rome and her rats are at the point of battle.
Club
Any card of the suit of cards having a figure like the trefoil or clover leaf. (pl.) The suit of cards having such figure.
Club
An association of persons for the promotion of some common object, as literature, science, politics, good fellowship, etc.; esp. an association supported by equal assessments or contributions of the members.
They talkedAt wine, in clubs, of art, of politics.
He [Goldsmith] was one of the nine original members of that celebrated fraternity which has sometimes been called the Literary Club, but which has always disclaimed that epithet, and still glories in the simple name of the Club.
Club
A joint charge of expense, or any person's share of it; a contribution to a common fund.
They laid down the club.
We dined at a French house, but paid ten shillings for our part of the club.
Club
To beat with a club.
Club
To throw, or allow to fall, into confusion.
To club a battalion implies a temporary inability in the commanding officer to restore any given body of men to their natural front in line or column.
Club
To unite, or contribute, for the accomplishment of a common end; as, to club exertions.
Club
To raise, or defray, by a proportional assesment; as, to club the expense.
Club
To form a club; to combine for the promotion of some common object; to unite.
Till grosser atoms, tumbling in the streamOf fancy, madly met, and clubbed into a dream.
Club
To drift in a current with an anchor out.
Club
A formal association of people with similar interests;
He joined a golf club
They formed a small lunch society
Men from the fraternal order will staff the soup kitchen today
Club
Stout stick that is larger at one end;
He carried a club in self defense
He felt as if he had been hit with a club
Club
A playing card in the minor suit of clubs (having one or more black trefoils on it);
He led a small club
Clubs were trumps
Club
A spot that is open late at night and that provides entertainment (as singers or dancers) as well as dancing and food and drink;
Don't expect a good meal at a cabaret
The gossip columnist got his information by visiting nightclubs every night
He played the drums at a jazz club
Club
Unite with a common purpose;
The two men clubbed together
Club
Gather and spend time together;
They always club together
Club
A suit in a deck of playing cards.
He drew the ten of clubs from the deck.
Club
A club sandwich.
Club
The slice of bread in the middle of a club sandwich.
Club
(transitive) To hit with a club.
He clubbed the poor dog.
Club
An organization that offers select services to members.
The health club had a state-of-the-art gym.
Common Curiosities
Can anyone join a club?
Typically, clubs are open to those with shared interests, though some may have specific criteria or fees.
What's the main purpose of a club?
Clubs primarily focus on social or recreational activities based on shared interests.
Do committees always make the final decisions?
Not always. Some committees offer recommendations, while others have decision-making authority.
Are clubs only for leisure activities?
While many clubs focus on leisure activities, others might focus on professional networking, education, or other themes.
Can an individual be a part of multiple committees?
Yes, an individual can serve on multiple committees if the roles don't conflict.
Are committees always permanent?
No, committees can be either temporary or permanent, depending on their purpose.
Can clubs have formal structures like committees?
Yes, many clubs have formal structures, by-laws, and elected officials to manage activities.
Is every group within an organization called a committee?
No, only groups with specific tasks or decision-making functions are typically termed "committees."
Can a club be considered a type of committee?
Not typically. While both are groups of people, their purposes and structures are distinct.
How are committee members usually chosen?
Members are often chosen based on expertise, role, or criteria relevant to the committee's purpose.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
