beholden to
idiom
formal
: owing a favor or gift to (someone) : having obligations to (someone)
politicians who are beholden to special interest groups
She works for herself, and so is beholden to no one.
Examples of beholden to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Imagining the tax-free windfall for workers, will employers drop base wages and will customers decrease tips, making workers’ lives more precarious and more beholden to abusive customers?
—
Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 July 2025
What all of this costs the networks and cable news outlets is surely sizable; what’s produced is beholden to the many limitations or traditions of TV news: outmoded news segment formats, restrictive standards.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2025
With a major reduction of migrant crossings at the U.S. southern border in recent months, Washington is not as beholden to the Mexican president in stemming migrant flows across the border as in the recent past, affording it greater leverage over Mexico City.
—Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2025
The private event came as Adams was still under indictment on federal corruption charges that were months later dismissed at the request of President Trump’s Department of Justice as part of a deal many believe has left the mayor beholden to Trump’s agenda.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for beholden to
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 July 2025
What all of this costs the networks and cable news outlets is surely sizable; what’s produced is beholden to the many limitations or traditions of TV news: outmoded news segment formats, restrictive standards.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2025
With a major reduction of migrant crossings at the U.S. southern border in recent months, Washington is not as beholden to the Mexican president in stemming migrant flows across the border as in the recent past, affording it greater leverage over Mexico City.
—Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2025
The private event came as Adams was still under indictment on federal corruption charges that were months later dismissed at the request of President Trump’s Department of Justice as part of a deal many believe has left the mayor beholden to Trump’s agenda.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for beholden to
Cite this Entry
“Beholden to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beholden%20to. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share