o·nus

(ō′nəs)

1. A difficult or disagreeable responsibility or necessity; a burden or obligation.

2. Responsibility for an error or fault; blame: Each side wants to avoid the onus of having started the disagreement.

3. The burden of proof: The onus was on the defense attorney.

[Latin.]

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.

onus

(ˈəʊnəs)

n, pl onuses

a responsibility, task, or burden

[C17: from Latin: burden]

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

o•nus

(ˈoʊ nəs)

n., pl. o•nus•es.

1. a difficult or disagreeable obligation or task.

2. burden of proof.

3. blame; responsibility.

[1630–40; < Latin: load, burden]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

onus - an onerous or difficult concern; "the burden of responsibility"; "that's a load off my mind"

burden, encumbrance, incumbrance, load

headache, worry, vexation, concern - something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness; "New York traffic is a constant concern"; "it's a major worry"

dead weight - an oppressive encumbrance

fardel - a burden (figuratively in the form of a bundle)

imposition - an uncalled-for burden; "he listened but resented the imposition"

pill - something unpleasant or offensive that must be tolerated or endured; "his competitor's success was a bitter pill to take"

onus

noun burden, weight, responsibility, worry, task, stress, duty, load, obligation, liability The onus was on the British to find a solution.

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

onus

noun

1. A duty or responsibility that is a source of anxiety, worry, or hardship:

burden, millstone, tax, weight.

Informal: headache.

2. A mark of discredit or disgrace:

black eye, blemish, blot, spot, stain, stigma, taint, tarnish.

Archaic: attaint.

Idiom: a blot on one's escutcheon.

3. Responsibility for an error or crime:

blame, culpability, fault, guilt.

Translations

مَسؤوليَّه، عِبء

forpligtelse

skylda, kvöî

atbildība

onus

[ˈəʊnəs] N (onuses (pl)) → responsabilidad f
the onus is upon the makers → la responsabilidad es de los fabricantes
the onus is upon him to prove it → es suya la responsabilidad de demostrarlo, le incumbe a él demostrarlo
the onus of proof is on the prosecution → le incumbe al fiscal probar la acusación

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

onus

[ˈəʊnəs] n (= responsibility) the onus is on sb to do sth → à charge pour qn de faire qch
The onus is upon him to prove it → À charge pour lui de le prouver.
the onus of proof → la charge de la preuve
The onus of proof must lie with them → La charge de la preuve doit leur incomber.

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

onus

n no pl → Pflicht f; (= burden) → Last f, → Bürde f (geh); to shift the onus for something onto somebody → jdm die Verantwortung für etw zuschieben; the onus to do it is on him or lies with him → es liegt an ihm, das zu tun; the onus of proof lies with the prosecution → die Anklage trägt die Beweislast

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

onus

[ˈəʊnəs] n no pl → onere m
the onus is upon him to prove it → sta a lui dimostrarlo
to shift the onus for sth onto sb → scaricare la responsabilità di qc su qn
the onus of proof is on the prosecution → l'onere della prova spetta all'accusa

onus

(ˈəunəs) noun

the responsibility. The onus is on him to prove his theory.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"A lady never knows on which side the onus probandi--the burden of proving--lies!"

View in context

Whoever dared the outrage wished to put the onus upon another, should he be detected in the act; but once safely away from Ptarth he felt safe in having his minions return to their own harness."

View in context

On the previous day, the prisoner had purchased strychnine at the village chemist's shop, wearing a disguise by means of which he hoped to throw the onus of the crime upon another man--to wit, Mrs.

View in context

Summary: Bengaluru/Mandya (Karnataka) [India], June 24 (ANI): As farmers protest over water entered the fourth day, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday shifted onus to the Centre and asked it to direct the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to resolve the issue.

Mandya farmers protest over water crisis enters 4th day, Kumaraswamy asks Centre to intervene

Summary: UAE minister says the onus is on Iran because of its destabilising behaviour

Iran behaviour has pushed region to 'sensitive' period

"The teams were always quite evenly matched over the course of the years but recently Celtic have dominated so the onus is onus to try and close that gap.

..HE'S DONE IT BEFORE

The President directed the Governors to take the onus of providing clean drinking water in all prisons.

President asks Governors to set up laboratories for Hepatitis test in prisons

At an evidence session before the Home Affairs Committee, immigration minister Caroline Nokes warned that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the onus would be on employers to carry out the relevant checks on whether or not potential employees have the right to work in the UK.

Tory contradictions leave EU nationals in limbo

According to the appeal, under the law as laid down by the honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan, the onus is on the prosecution to prove, in the first instance, the essential ingredients of the offence falling under Section 9(a)(v) of the NAO, 1999, establishing that the assets in question belong to the accused, and it is only after the prosecution has discharged this onus, and proved that the accused person or any other person on his behalf is in possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, that a presumption can be drawn in terms of Section 14(c) of the NAO, 1999, thereby shifting the onus on the accused to explain the sources from which he may have acquired the assets in questions.

IHC continues hearing Sharifs' pleas

On Wednesday, Haris argued that NAB has failed to shift the onus of proof on the Sharif family in the Avenfield reference.

Khawaja Haris resumes concluding remarks in Avenfield reference against Sharifs

The federal government bill, if passed by Parliament, will also place a reverse onus on intimate partners or spouses who have been previously convicted of violence against a current or former spouse, common-law partner or dating partner.

FEDS GETS TOUGH ON ASSAULT