liable

li·a·ble  (l-bl)

adj.

1. Legally obligated; responsible: liable for military service. See Synonyms at responsible.

2. At risk of or subject to experiencing or suffering something unpleasant. Used with to: liable to criminal charges; liable to diabetes.

3. Likely. Often used with reference to an unfavorable outcome: In a depression banks are liable to fail.

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[Middle English, probably from Old French lier, to bind, from Latin ligre; see leig- in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: Liable, apt, and likely are often used interchangeably in constructions with infinitives, as in Zach is liable to lose, Zach is apt to lose, and Zach is likely to lose, but the three words have subtle distinctions in meaning. A traditional rule holds that liable should be used only if the subject would be adversely affected by the outcome expressed by the infinitive. The rule therefore permits Tim is liable to fall out of his chair if he doesn't sit up straight but not The chair is liable to be slippery, though constructions of the latter type have long been common in reputable writing. · Apt usually suggests that the subject has a natural tendency enhancing the probability of an outcome and that the speaker is somewhat apprehensive about the outcome. Thus apt is more naturally used in a sentence like The fuel pump is apt to give out at any minute than in Even the clearest instructions are apt to be misinterpreted by those idiots (since the instructions are not at fault) or in The fuel pump is apt to give you no problems for the life of the car (since there is no reason that the speaker should regard such an outcome as unfortunate). · Likely is more general than either liable or apt. It ascribes no particular property to the subject that would enhance the probability of the outcome. Thus, while John is apt to lose the election may suggest that the loss will result from something John does or fails to do, John is likely to lose the election does not. Nor does it suggest anything about the desirability of the outcome from the point of view of either the speaker or the subject. See Usage Note at likely.

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liable [ˈlaɪəb^əl]

adj (postpositive)

1. (Law) legally obliged or responsible; answerable

2. susceptible or exposed; subject

3. probable, likely, or capable it's liable to happen soon

[perhaps via Anglo-French, from Old French lier to bind, from Latin ligāre]

liableness  n

Usage: Usage. The use of liable to to mean likely to was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	liable - at risk of or subject to experiencing something usually unpleasant; "he is apt to lose"; "she is liable to forget" apt likely - has a good chance of being the case or of coming about; "these services are likely to be available to us all before long"; "she is likely to forget"; "a likely place for a restaurant"; "the broken limb is likely to fall"; "rain is likely"; "a likely topic for investigation"; "likely candidates for the job"
	2.	liable - subject to legal action; "liable to criminal charges" nonexempt - (of persons) not exempt from an obligation or liability
	3.	liable - (often followed by `to') likely to be affected with; "liable to diabetes" nonimmune, nonresistant, unresistant susceptible - (often followed by `of' or `to') yielding readily to or capable of; "susceptible to colds"; "susceptible of proof"
	4.	liable - held legally responsible; "men between the ages of 18 and 35 were liable for military service" responsible - worthy of or requiring responsibility or trust; or held accountable; "a responsible adult"; "responsible journalism"; "a responsible position"; "the captain is responsible for the ship's safety"; "the cabinet is responsible to the parliament"

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liable

adjective

1. likely, tending, inclined, disposed, prone, apt Only a small number are liable to harm themselves or others.

2. vulnerable, subject, exposed, prone, susceptible, open, at risk of These women are particularly liable to depression.

3. responsible, accountable, amenable, answerable, bound, obligated, chargeable The airline's insurer is liable for damages.

Translations

liable [ˈlaɪəbl] ADJ

1. (= likely) to be liable to do sth: he's liable to do something stupid → puede fácilmente hacer alguna tontería, es muy posible que haga una tontería
he's liable to have an accident → es probable que tenga un accidente
it's liable to rain at any moment → puede empezar a llover en cualquier momento

2. (= prone) we are all liable to make mistakes → todos podemos cometer errores
some people are more liable to depression than others → algunas personas son más propensas a la depresión or tienen más tendencia a la depresión que otras

3. (= responsible)
to be liable for [+ debt, loan] → ser responsable de, deber responder de
the company is liable for damages → la compañía es responsable de los daños, la compañía debe pagar los daños
to hold sb liable for sth → considerar a algn responsable de algo

4. (= subject)
to be liable for/to sth: the programme is liable to change without notice → el programa puede cambiar sin previo aviso
to be liable to duty (Comm) [goods] → estar sujeto a derechos de aduana, deber pagar impuestos de aduana
to be liable for military service → estar obligado a hacer el servicio militar
to be liable to prosecution → poder ser procesado
to be liable to or for tax [person] → deber pagar impuestos; [thing] → estar sujeto a impuestos, ser gravable
any savings you have are liable for tax → todos sus ahorros están sujetos a impuestos or son gravables
he is not liable for tax → no tiene que pagar impuestos, está exento de pagar impuestos

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liable [ˈlaɪəb^əl] adj

(= likely) to be liable to do sth → être susceptible de faire qch
The houses are liable to collapse → Les maisons sont susceptibles de s'effondrer.
He's liable to hit me if I tell him that
BUT Il serait capable de me frapper si je lui dis ça.

(= subject) to be liable to sth [+ prosecution, imprisonment] → être passible de qch
to be liable to a fine → être passible d'une amende
to be liable for tax, to be liable to tax [person] → être imposable; [goods] → être taxé(e)

(= legally responsible) → responsable
to be liable for sth [+ damages, debt] → être responsable de qch
to be held liable for sth → être tenu(e) responsable de qch

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liable

adj

(= subject to) to be liable for or to something → einer Sache (dat) → unterliegen; to be liable for tax (things) → besteuert werden; (income, person) → steuerpflichtig sein; people earning over £X are liable for surtax → wer mehr als £ X verdient, unterliegt einer Zusatzsteuer or ist zusatzsteuerpflichtig; liable to penalty → strafbar; to be liable to prosecution → der Strafverfolgung unterliegen; you’ll make yourself liable to a heavy fine → Sie können zu einer hohen Geldstrafe verurteilt werden

(= prone to) → anfällig; he’s always been liable to bronchitis → er war schon immer anfällig für Bronchitis; liable to inflation → inflationsanfällig

(= responsible) to be liable → haften, haftbar sein; to be liable for something → für etw haftbar sein or haften, für etw aufkommen müssen; he is not legally liable to pay → er ist nicht gesetzlich verpflichtet zu zahlen

(= likely to) to be liable to do something (in future) → wahrscheinlich etw tun (werden); (habitually) → dazu neigen, etw zu tun; we are liable to get shot here → wir können hier leicht beschossen werden; the pond is liable to freeze → der Teich friert leicht zu; is he liable to come? → ist anzunehmen, dass er kommt?; he’s liable to tell the police → es wäre ihm zuzutrauen, dass er es der Polizei meldet; if you don’t write it down I’m liable to forget it → wenn Sie das nicht aufschreiben, kann es durchaus sein, dass ich es vergesse; the plan is liable to changes → der Plan wird möglicherweise geändert; I don’t think it’s liable to happen tonight → ich halte es für nicht wahrscheinlich, dass es heute Nacht passiert; the car is liable to run out of petrol (Brit) or gas (US) any minute → dem Auto kann jede Minute das Benzin ausgehen; if you tell him that, he’s liable to lose his temper → wenn Sie ihm das sagen, wird er wahrscheinlich wütend

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liable [ˈlaɪəbl] adj

a. (likely) liable to do → propenso/a a fare
she's liable to get cross → è probabile che si arrabbi
it's liable to break → è probabile che si rompa
we are liable to get shot at here → qui c'è il rischio che ci sparino
he's liable to colds → è soggetto a frequenti raffreddori, prende facilmente il raffreddore

b. (subject) to be liable for military service → essere tenuto/a a svolgere il servizio militare
to be liable to a fine → essere passibile di multa

c. (responsible) to be liable for → essere responsabile di

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liable [ˈlaɪəbl] adj

a. (likely) liable to do → propenso/a a fare
she's liable to get cross → è probabile che si arrabbi
it's liable to break → è probabile che si rompa
we are liable to get shot at here → qui c'è il rischio che ci sparino
he's liable to colds → è soggetto a frequenti raffreddori, prende facilmente il raffreddore

b. (subject) to be liable for military service → essere tenuto/a a svolgere il servizio militare
to be liable to a fine → essere passibile di multa

c. (responsible) to be liable for → essere responsabile di

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liable

adj liable [ˈlaiəbl]

1 (with to) tending to have, get, suffer from etc This road is liable to flooding; He is liable to pneumonia. vatbaar مُعَرَّض لِ، ميّال إلى предразположен vystavený; trpící udsat for; tilbøjelig til; modtagelig for neigend επιρρεπής propenso kalduv در معرض چیزی بودن altis susceptible de, sujet à עָלוּל, צָפוּי दायी podložan hajlamos rawan líklegur, hætt við soggetto a ～しがちな 하기 쉬운 linkęs į ką pakļauts; disponēts mudah kena vatbaar utsatt for, tilbøyelig til narażony, podatny sujeito a expus la; susceptibil de подверженный vystavený; trpiaci nagnjen (k čemu) podložan benägen, disponerad för ที่มีแนวโน้ม eğimli 易遭受...的 схильний مجبور، زد میں phải chịu cái gì 易遭受...的

2 possibly or probably about (to do something or to happen) Watch the milk – it's liable to boil over. kan voorkom مُحْتَمَل أن подлежащ spějící k, hrozící, chystající se kan komme til; lige ved leicht etwas tun ενδεχόμενος que puede... tõenäoline محتمل taipuvainen qui risque de נוֹטֶה לְ- उत्तरदायित्व prokipjeti hajlamos mungkin hætt við possibile, probabile ～しそうな 아마도 ...할 galintis ką padaryti iespējams mungkin ertoe neigend som kan komme til å, like ved, troende til mający widoki na, podatny propenso a care poate să возможный chystajúci sa (čo) (biti) na tem, da... verovatan som riskerar att ... ที่มีแนวโน้ม muhtemel, olası 有可能的 ймовірний, можливий ممکن có thể làm cái gì 有可能的

3 legally responsible (for) The airline is liable to you for any damage to your luggage. verantwoordelik مَسْؤول عن отговорен odpovědný za ansvarlig verantwortlich, haftbar υπόλογος (νομικά) responsable legaalselt vastutav متعهد velvollinen responsable de qqch אַחֲרַאי संभाव्य zakonski odgovoran felelős (vmiért) bertanggung jawab responsabile 責任がある 법적 의무가 있는 atsakingas (juridiski) atbildīgs bertanggungjawab verantwoordelijk, aansprakelijk (voor) ansvarlig, erstatningspliktig odpowiedzialny ответственный (за) zodpovedný (za) odgovoren odgovoran ansvarig ซึ่งรับผิดชอบตามกฎหมาย sorumlu, yükümlü 有責任的，有義務的 відповідальний قانونی طور پر پابند chịu trách nhiệm về 有责任的，有义务的

4 likely to get (a fine, a punishment) Do not litter! Offenders are liable to fines of up to $100. aanspreeklik خاضِع لِ، مُعَرَّض لِ подлежащ podléhající čemu strafansvarlig Haftbar υπόχρεος expuesto, sujeto määratakse (trahv, karistus) مشمول maksuvelvollinen être passible de עָלוּל क़ानूनन ज़िम्मेदार, उत्तरदायी, ज़िम्मेदार kažnjiv büntethető dapat dihukum, dsb. passibile, punibile ～を免れない (죄 등을) 받아야 할 baustinas pakļauts (sodam) boleh onderworpen (aan) (stå) for tur a fi pe punctul de a obţine могущий подвергнуться vystavený (čomu), podliehajúci (čomu) predisponiran biti podložan skyldig att ..., som kan [] ซึ่งรับผิดชอบตามกฎหมาย (ceza) ...-abilir, (para cezası) ile cezalandırılabilir 易受罰或經歷一些不好的事情或風險 такий, що підлягає ٹیکس یا جرمانے کی ادائگی کا ذمہ دار có thể bị phạt hay trừng phạt 易受罚或经历一些不好的事情或风险

n liaˈbility

verantwoordelikheid تَعَرُّض لِ، إحْتِمال، مَسؤوليَّه отговорност závaznost ansvar; erstatningsansvar die Neigung ευθύνη, νομική υποχρέωση, ενδεχόμενο πρόβλημα responsabilidad kalduvus, varalised kohustused سزاواری؛ مسئولیت alttius, vastuu responsabilité אַחֲרָיוּת देयता, भार उत्तरदायित्व odgovornost, obveza felelősség, kötelezettség; hajlam(osság) tanggung jawab ábyrgð; skaðabótaskylda responsabilità 責任 ...하기 쉬움 pareiga, atsakomybė, įsipareigojimas, skola tendence; nosliece; atbildība tanggungjawab verplichting, blok aan het been ansvar; tilbøyelighet; belastning odpowiedzialność, zobowiązanie possibilidade răspundere, responsabi­li­tate подверженность; обязательство záväznosť odgovornost obaveza ansvar, benägenhet หนี้สิน sorumluluk, yükümlülük 傾向 відповідальність; схильність ذمہ داری sự chịu trách nhiệm 倾向