obligation

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“
He thanked him for all the favors he had done his son; adding withal, the obligation was the greater as he was a young man, not much acquainted with the world, and that he might contribute to his information.

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Definitions (28)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (9)

  1. noun The act of binding oneself by a social, legal, or moral tie.
  2. noun 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.
  3. noun A course of action imposed by society, law, or conscience by which one is bound or restricted.
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Examples (50)

  • Teeg initially took the position that having delivered me to the nameless village, his obligation was at an end, but he was suspiciously quick to respond to my threats and entreaties. —  F ;SF; - vol 088 issue 06 - June 1995
  • Furthermore, the obligation is according to one's ability, in that the Muslims must use every means at their disposal to undertake military and physical training for Jihad. —  How can I Train Myself for Jihad
  • Their failure to fulfill this obligation is an example of their sense of entitlement of the worst sort. —  CTV News RSS Feed
  • "We have an obligation to our members, and we're going to hold to that obligation, and the obligation is the contract," Jellison said. —  News/local from www.dailyamerican.com
  • At December 31, 2008, the obligation was as follows: —  Marketwire - Breaking News Releases
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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obligation:   obligations
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (1)

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from French obligation = Spanish obligacion = Portuguese obrigação = Italian obbligazione, from Latin obligatio(n-), a binding, an engagement or pledging, a bond, obligation, from obligare, bind, oblige: see obligate, oblige.
 

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/ɑblɪˈgeɪʃən/
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