Meaning of obligation in English

obligation

noun

/ˌɒb.lɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/ us

/ˌɑː.bləˈɡeɪ.ʃən/

the fact that you are obliged to do something:

[ + to infinitive ] If you have not signed a contract, you are under no obligation to (= it is not necessary to) pay them any money.

You have a legal obligation to (= the law says you must) ensure your child receives an education.

[ C ]

something that you must do:

I don't have time to do his work for him - I have too many obligations as it is.

More examplesFewer examples

Beach operators do not have a legal obligation to provide against injury or drowning.
One has an obligation to one's friends.
It's her moral obligation to tell the police what she knows.
Are you under a contractual obligation to any other company?
You have a legal obligation to inform the police about the crash.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Duty, obligation and responsibility

See more results »

(Definition of obligation from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

obligation | American Dictionary

obligation

noun [ C/U ]

/ˌɑb·ləˈɡeɪ·ʃən/

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something that a person feels morally or legally forced to do:

[ C ] The government has an obligation to assist relief efforts.

[ U ] You can just look – you’re under no obligation to buy.

(Definition of obligation from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

obligation | Business English

obligation

noun

LAW

/ˌɒblɪˈɡeɪʃən/ us

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[ C or U ]

a legal or moral duty to do something:

a legal/moral obligation

an obligation to do sth There is a legal obligation to publish accounts.

We have an obligation to generate value for our shareholders.

an obligation to sb Under bankruptcy law, the company has an obligation to creditors.

be under (an) obligation You are under no obligation to accept damaged goods.

obligations [ plural ]

things that you must do or pay because of a law, rule, agreement, etc.:

impose/place obligations on sb The law imposes certain obligations on public authorities.

fulfil/meet your obligations He has fulfilled the obligations of his current contract.

contractual/financial/statutory obligations Failure to meet contractual obligations may result in legal action.

without obligation

COMMERCE, LAW

used to say that someone can look at or try a product or service without having to buy it:

Auction houses will usually examine and place a price on your item without obligation.

This mortgage advice is completely free and without obligation.

Examples of obligation

obligation

Very few associations, groups, or plans specifically endorse obligations to vulnerable populations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The latter response is reinforced in us by our obligation to stand in solidarity with victims of wrongdoing against those who have wronged them.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

At the third, the quality of the parent-child relationship was added and filial obligation removed.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

To be fair, the book is explicitly an institutional history, and as such has no obligation to engage large historiographical themes.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

What was evident to him was a certain lack of understanding among actors about their obligation to writers and plays of social commitment.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

To further illustrate this point, imagine a strong young man wanting to take on the obligation of carrying my heavy packages for me.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

This article focuses on one aspect of the immigrant older person's experience and situation, their perceptions about filial obligations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It is precisely this intimacy, not any biological relation, that creates the obligations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

While some felt strongly that it is an obligation, others referred to the difficulties the responsibility created.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I am not arguing that all directed obligations are obligations of joint commitment.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In other words, national policies converge because of corresponding legal obligations defined in international or supranational law.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

But how could obligation possibly follow from propositional knowledge alone?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Consequently, does society have a moral obligation to mitigate the differences in health for which we are personally responsible?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Given that the samples were drawn exclusively from large urban areas, the level of support for filial obligations is remarkable.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Central responsibility for covering local deficits in current obligations would equalize contribution rates across municipalities and would enable the accounts to be funded.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with obligation

obligation

These are words often used in combination with obligation.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

absolute obligation

Basinger thinks so, but also seems to see it as a less absolute obligation than the first type.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

binding obligation

During this time, ultrasound examinations in pregnancy are approved with a binding obligation to assess the results.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

certain obligation

We have undertaken a certain obligation under the sanctions arrangements.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

See all collocations with obligation

What is the pronunciation of obligation?

Translations of obligation

in Chinese (Traditional)

義務, 責任, 職責…

Meaning of obligation in English

obligation | American Dictionary

obligation | Business English

See also

Examples of obligation

Collocations with obligation

obligation

Translations of obligation

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