ob·li·ga·tion

(ŏb′lĭ-gā′shən)

a. A social, legal, or moral requirement, such as a duty, contract, or promise, that compels one to follow or avoid a particular course of action: Are you able to meet your obligations? I have an obligation to attend their wedding.

b. The constraining power of a promise, contract, law, or sense of duty: I felt no obligation to offer my advice.

c. Law A document in which a person binds himself or herself to undertake or refrain from doing a particular act.

d. A debt instrument, such as a loan, mortgage, or bond.

2. The state, fact, or feeling of being indebted to another for a special service or favor received: If they invite us, aren't we under obligation to invite them in return?

ob′li·ga′tion·al adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

obligation

(ˌɒblɪˈɡeɪʃən)

1. a moral or legal requirement; duty

2. the act of obligating or the state of being obligated

3. (Law) law a legally enforceable agreement to perform some act, esp to pay money, for the benefit of another party

4. (Law) law

a. a written contract containing a penalty

b. an instrument acknowledging indebtedness to secure the repayment of money borrowed

5. a person or thing to which one is bound morally or legally

6. something owed in return for a service or favour

7. a service or favour for which one is indebted

ˌobliˈgational adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ob•li•ga•tion

(ˌɒb lɪˈgeɪ ʃən)

n.

1. something by which a person is bound to do certain things, and which arises out of a sense of duty or results from custom, law, etc.

2. something done or to be done for such reasons: to fulfill one's obligations.

3. a binding promise, contract, sense of duty, etc.

4. the act of obligating oneself, as by a promise or contract.

a. an agreement enforceable by law.

b. a document setting forth such an agreement.

6. any bond, certificate, or the like, as of a government or a corporation, serving as evidence of indebtedness.

7. an indebtedness or amount of indebtedness.

8. a debt of gratitude.

9. the state of being under a debt.

[1250–1300; Middle English (< Old French) < Latin]

syn: See duty.

obligation

obstriction - An obligation.
convert into, convert to - Convert into means to change from one thing to another; convert to means to switch allegiance, loyalty, or obligation.
delinquent - Literally "completely having left" one's duty or obligation.
likely, liable - Use likely if you mean "probable, expected"; use liable if you mean "bound by law or obligation."

obligation

– duty

1. 'obligation' and 'duty'

If you say that someone has an obligation to do something or a duty to do something, you mean that they ought to do it, because it is their responsibility. When obligation and duty are used like this, they have the same meaning.

When teachers assign homework, students usually feel an obligation to do it.

Perhaps it was his duty to tell the police what he had seen.

2. 'duties'

Your duties are the things that you do as part of your job.

She has been given a reasonable time to learn her duties.

They also have to carry out many administrative duties.

Be Careful!
Don't refer to the things that you do as part of your job as 'obligations'.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	obligation - the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force; "we must instill a sense of duty in our children"; "every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty"- John D.Rockefeller Jr duty, responsibility job - the responsibility to do something; "it is their job to print the truth" safekeeping, guardianship, keeping - the responsibility of a guardian or keeper; "he left his car in my keeping" social control - control exerted (actively or passively) by group action moral obligation - an obligation arising out of considerations of right and wrong; "he did it out of a feeling of moral obligation" noblesse oblige - the obligation of those of high rank to be honorable and generous (often used ironically) burden of proof - the duty of proving a disputed charge civic duty, civic responsibility - the responsibilities of a citizen filial duty - duty of a child to its parents imperative - some duty that is essential and urgent incumbency - a duty that is incumbent upon you legal duty - acts which the law requires be done or forborne line of duty - all that is normally required in some area of responsibility white man's burden - the supposed responsibility of the white race to provide care for their non-white subjects prerequisite, requirement - something that is required in advance; "Latin was a prerequisite for admission" requirement, demand - required activity; "the requirements of his work affected his health"; "there were many demands on his time"
	2.	obligation - the state of being obligated to do or pay something; "he is under an obligation to finish the job" state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state" financial obligation, indebtedness, liability - an obligation to pay money to another party
	3.	obligation - a personal relation in which one is indebted for a service or favor indebtedness personal relation, personal relationship - a relation between persons
	4.	obligation - a written promise to repay a debt certificate of indebtedness, debt instrument cash equivalent - a highly liquid debt instrument with maturities of less than three months certificate of deposit, CD - a debt instrument issued by a bank; usually pays interest note of hand, promissory note, note - a promise to pay a specified amount on demand or at a certain time; "I had to co-sign his note at the bank" document - a written account of ownership or obligation floater - a debt instrument with a variable interest rate tied to some other interest rate (e.g. the rate paid by T-bills) bond certificate, bond - a certificate of debt (usually interest-bearing or discounted) that is issued by a government or corporation in order to raise money; the issuer is required to pay a fixed sum annually until maturity and then a fixed sum to repay the principal
	5.	obligation - a legal agreement specifying a payment or action and the penalty for failure to comply written agreement - a legal document summarizing the agreement between parties debt - an obligation to pay or do something

obligation

noun

1. duty, pressure, compulsion Students usually feel an obligation to attend lectures.

2. task, job, duty, work, calling, business, charge, role, function, mission, province, assignment, pigeon (informal), chore I feel that's my obligation, to do whatever is possible.

3. responsibility, duty, liability, accountability, culpability, answerability, accountableness I have an ethical and moral obligation to my client.

4. contract, promise, agreement, understanding, bond, debt, commitment, engagement The companies failed to meet their obligation to plant new trees.

under an obligation in (someone's) debt, indebted, obliged, grateful, thankful, obligated, beholden, duty-bound, honour-bound, owing a favour I'd rather not be under any obligation to him.

without obligation free, for free (informal), for nothing, unpaid, complimentary, free of charge, on the house, without charge, gratuitous, gratis, buckshee (Brit. slang) Our advice and quotations are without obligation.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

obligation

noun

1. An act or course of action that is demanded of one, as by position, custom, law, or religion:

burden, charge, commitment, duty, imperative, must, need, responsibility.

2. Something, such as money, owed by one person to another:

arrearage, arrears, debt, due, indebtedness, liability.

3. A condition of owing something to another:

arrearage, arrears, indebtedness, debt, liability.

Translations

إلْتِزام

závazek

forpligtelse

Verpflichtung Pflicht

obligación

velvollisuus

obligation dette

kötelességkötelezettséglekötelezettség

skuldbinding, skylda, kvöî

obbligo obbligazione

обязанность обязательство

moratiobveznost

görevyükümlülük

义务

obligation

[ˌɒblɪˈgeɪʃən] N → obligación f
without obligation (in advert) → sin compromiso
"no obligation to buy" → sin compromiso a comprar
it is your obligation to see that → le cumple a usted comprobar que + subjun
to be under an obligation to sb/to do sth → estar comprometido con algn/a hacer algo
to lay or put sb under an obligation → poner a algn bajo una obligación
to meet/fail to meet one's obligations → hacer frente a/faltar a sus compromisos
of obligation (Rel) → de precepto

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

obligation

[ˌɒblɪˈgeɪʃ^ən] n

(= duty) → obligation f
to have an obligation to sb [+ parent, person in need] → avoir une obligation envers qn
His daughter didn't seem to feel much of an obligation to him → Sa fille ne semblait pas ressentir beaucoup d'obligations envers lui.
to have a contractual obligation to sb → avoir une obligation contractuelle envers qn
an obligation to do sth → l'obligation de faire qch
There is no legal obligation to state it on the label → Il n'y a pas d'obligation légale de le mentionner sur l'étiquette.
to have an obligation to do sth → avoir l'obligation de faire qch
to be under an obligation to do sth → être dans l'obligation de faire qch
to be under no obligation to do sth → n'être aucunement dans l'obligation de faire qch
We are under no obligation to give him what he wants → Nous ne sommes aucunement dans l'obligation de lui donner ce qu'il veut
There is no obligation on them to do this → Ils n'ont aucune obligation de faire cela.

(= debt) → obligation f

"without obligation" → "sans engagement"

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

obligation

n → Verpflichtung f, → Pflicht f; to be under an obligation to do something → verpflichtet sein or die Pflicht haben, etw zu tun; to be under no obligation to do something → nicht verpflichtet sein, etw zu tun; to be under or have an obligation to somebody → jdm verpflichtet sein; you have placed us all under a great obligation → wir sind Ihnen alle sehr verpflichtet; without obligation (Comm) → unverbindlich, ohne Obligo (form); with no obligation to buy → ohne Kaufzwang

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

obligation

[ˌɒblɪˈgeɪʃ/ən] n (duty) → obbligo; (compulsion) → impegno
"without obligation" → "senza impegno"
to be under an obligation to sb/to do sth → essere in dovere verso qn/di fare qc
I'm under no obligation to do it → non sono tenuto a farlo
to meet one's obligations → rispettare i propri impegni
to fail to meet one's obligations → venire meno ai propri impegni

oblige

(əˈblaidʒ) verb

1. to force to do something. She was obliged to go; The police obliged him to leave.

2. to do (someone) a favour or service. Could you oblige me by carrying this, please?

obligation (obliˈgeiʃən) noun

a promise or duty. You are under no obligation to buy this.

obligatory (əˈbligətəri) , ((American) əbligəˈto:ri) adjective

compulsory. Attendance at tonight's meeting is obligatory.

oˈbligatorily adverb

oˈbliging adjective

willing to help other people. He'll help you – he's very obliging.

oˈbligingly adverb

obligation

n. obligación, deber, compromiso.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"He was afraid of some betrayal in my hearing: all he wanted was to bind me to him by a strong obligation: that was why he passed on a sudden from hardness to liberality.

View in context

'You think that if you were to accept that trifle from me now, I should presume upon it hereafter; but you are mistaken:- if you will only oblige me by taking it, believe me, I shall build no hopes upon it, and consider this no precedent for future favours:- and it is nonsense to talk about putting yourself under obligations to me when you must know that in such a case the obligation is entirely on my side, - the favour on yours.'

View in context

Being established in that position, and having deliberately resolved to make himself prince and to seize by violence, without obligation to others, that which had been conceded to him by assent, he came to an understanding for this purpose with Amilcar, the Carthaginian, who, with his army, was fighting in Sicily.

View in context

You recognise no obligations. No one is under any obligation to you."

View in context

He chafed under the obligation she had put upon him, but no less did he acknowledge it and as he watched the two, the rueful expression upon his face was lightened by a smile as he thought of the helplessness of them.

View in context

I thought it therefore agreeable, to my Affection, and Obligation to your Grace, to prefix your Name before them, both in English, and in Latine.

View in context

All constitutional acts of power, whether in the executive or in the judicial department, have as much legal validity and obligation as if they proceeded from the legislature; and therefore, whatever name be given to the power of making treaties, or however obligatory they may be when made, certain it is, that the people may, with much propriety, commit the power to a distinct body from the legislature, the executive, or the judicial.

View in context

To console Pierre for these losses the head steward gave him an estimate showing that despite these losses his income would not be diminished but would even be increased if he refused to pay his wife's debts which he was under no obligation to meet, and did not rebuild his Moscow house and the country house on his Moscow estate, which had cost him eighty thousand rubles a year and brought in nothing.

View in context

I am not to give up my right to your protection and patronage, because you have commended my book: for though I acknowledge so many obligations to you, I do not add this to the number; in which friendship, I am convinced, hath so little share: since that can neither biass your judgment, nor pervert your integrity.

View in context

I hardly know to what forgetfulness of my obligations anxiety and alarm might not have tempted me, but for the quieting influence of my faith in Marian.

View in context

Nothing but a sense of the obligations they were under to his nation induced them to bear with such a guest; but he proceeded, speedily, to relieve them from the weight of these obligations, by eating a receipt in full.

View in context

As long as he can avoid fulfilling his obligations to me, he will; and his wife's encouragement may be trusted to fortify him in his ingratitude.

View in context