liable

adjective

li·​a·​ble ˈlī-ə-bəl 

especially in sense 2 often

ˈlī-bəl 

1

a

: obligated according to law or equity (see equity sense 3) : responsible

Both owners are liable for the debts incurred by the business.

b

: subject to appropriation or attachment

All his property is liable to pay his debts.

2

a

: being in a position to incur

—used with to

liable to a fine

b

: exposed or subject to some usually adverse contingency or action

Watch out or you're liable to fall.

Liable vs. Apt: Usage Guide

Both liable and apt when followed by an infinitive are used nearly interchangeably with likely. Although conflicting advice has been given over the years, most current commentators accept apt when so used. They generally recommend limiting liable to situations having an undesirable outcome, and our evidence shows that in edited writing it is more often so used than not.

Synonyms of liable

• susceptible
• vulnerable
• sensitive
• exposed
• prone

Choose the Right Synonym for liable

liable, open, exposed, subject, prone, susceptible, sensitive mean being by nature or through circumstances likely to experience something adverse.

liable implies a possibility or probability of incurring something because of position, nature, or particular situation.

liable to get lost

open stresses a lack of barriers preventing incurrence.

a claim open to question

exposed suggests lack of protection or powers of resistance against something actually present or threatening.

exposed to infection

subject implies an openness for any reason to something that must be suffered or undergone.

all reports are subject to review

prone stresses natural tendency or propensity to incur something.

prone to delay

susceptible implies conditions existing in one's nature or individual constitution that make incurrence probable.

very susceptible to flattery

sensitive implies a readiness to respond to or be influenced by forces or stimuli.

unduly sensitive to criticism

synonyms see in addition responsible

Examples of liable in a Sentence

If someone gets hurt on your property, you could be liable.

because of his frail constitution, he's liable to diseases

Recent Examples on the Web

If your shop collects customer data online, cyber liability insurance could be a smart move to guard against cyber attacks, data breaches and other situations where you could be held liable for exposing information. — Liz Knueven, CNBC, 16 July 2026

The jury found Basabe liable for defaming both Frevola and his mother via the Twitter post but only awarded damages to the son. — Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

Through the legal principle known as respondeat superior, employers are generally liable for actions committed by their employees when the employee acts within the scope of their employment. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026

Earlier this year, two cases sidestepped Section 230 to hold Meta and YouTube liable for harms against their users by focusing on the companies’ design choices. — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lyable, from Anglo-French *liable, from lier to bind, from Latin ligare — more at ligature

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for liable

• classifiable
• justifiable
• modifiable
• notifiable
• satisfiable
• specifiable
• undeniable
• unreliable
• verifiable
• emulsifiable
• identifiable
• unclassifiable

Kids Definition

liable

adjective

li·​a·​ble ˈlī-ə-bəl 

especially in senses 2 & 3 often ˈlī-bəl

1

: forced by law or by what is right to make good

we are liable for damage that we do

2

: not sheltered or protected (as from danger or accident)

liable to diseases

3

: exposed to or likely to experience something that usually is undesirable

you're liable to slip there

it's liable to rain before we're done

Legal Definition

liable

adjective

li·​a·​ble ˈlī-ə-bəl 

1

: answerable according to law : bound or obligated according to law or equity

one is liable as an accomplice to the crime of another

—W. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.

the estate is liable for succession taxes

—Commissioner of Revenue Services v. Estate of Culpepper, 493 A.2d 297 (1985)

2

a

: being in a position to incur

—used with to

liable to a fine

property liable to duties

b

: subject or amenable according to law

Etymology

ultimately from Old French lier to bind, from Latin ligare