duty

1 of 2

noun

du·​ty ˈdü-tē 

 also  ˈdyü-

plural duties

1

: conduct due to parents and superiors : respect

filial duty and obedience

—John Locke

2

a

: obligatory tasks, conduct, service, or functions that arise from one's position (as in life or in a group)

was his duty to support his family

Her primary duty at the meeting was to take attendance.

performs a variety of administrative duties

b(1)

: assigned service or business

was put on kitchen duty

jury duty

(2)

: active military service

returning from duty overseas

(3)

: a period of being on duty

report for duty at 7 a.m.

3

a

: a moral or legal obligation

felt it was their duty to help

b

: the force of moral obligation

will be ready when duty calls

4

: tax

especially : a tax on imports

a 15 percent duty

5

a

: work sense 1c

b(1)

: the service required (as of an electric machine) under specified conditions

(2)

: functional application : use

got double duty out of the trip

(3)

: use as a substitute

making the word do duty for the thing

—Edward Sapir

duty

2 of 2

adjective

1

: done as a duty

pay a duty call on her elderly aunt

2

: being on duty : assigned to specified tasks or functions

the duty officer

Phrases

off duty

: free from assignment or responsibility

a police officer who was off duty at the time

on duty

: engaged in or responsible for an assigned task or duty

not allowed to take personal calls while on duty

Synonyms

Noun

• assessment
• imposition
• impost
• levy
• tax

Choose the Right Synonym for duty

function, office, duty, province mean the acts or operations expected of a person or thing.

function implies a definite end or purpose or a particular kind of work.

the function of language is two-fold: to communicate emotion and to give information

—Aldous Huxley

office is typically applied to the function or service associated with a trade or profession or a special relationship to others.

they exercise the offices of the judge, the priest, the counsellor

—W. E. Gladstone

duty applies to a task or responsibility imposed by one's occupation, rank, status, or calling.

it is the judicial duty of the court, to examine the whole case

—R. B. Taney

province applies to a function, office, or duty that naturally or logically falls to one.

I felt it was not my province to inquire

—Anne Brontë

task, duty, job, chore, stint, assignment mean a piece of work to be done.

task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

charged with a variety of tasks

duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

the duties of a lifeguard

job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

the job of turning the company around

chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

every child was assigned chores

stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

a 2-month stint as a reporter

assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

a reporter's assignment

Examples of duty in a Sentence

Noun

His primary duty at the event is to take attendance.

If new employees are unable to carry out their duties, they may be fired.

We felt it was our duty to help.

He has a duty to support his family.

They helped her out of a sense of duty.

I'll be ready when duty calls.

Her brother returned from duty overseas.

a twelve-month tour of duty

Many reserve troops were called into active duty.

See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The video then quickly jumps from showing the staff performing their hospitality duties with ease at to enjoying the perks of the French countryside estate. —Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 2 Jan. 2024

The young recruit concluded his tour of duty by winning the all-Navy talent competition, an honor that earned him a guest spot on the Ed Sullivan show. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Jan. 2024

And Mendelson wants police to hire qualified civilians to investigate property crimes and cold cases, to free more officers for other duties. —John D. Harden, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023

After stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, did not go quietly in the goodnight. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 28 Dec. 2023

Until the second or third week of their lives, worker bees take care of the internal duties of the hive. —The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023

Satellites located 22,300 miles above the Earth with infrared sensors also help NORAD in its tracking duties. —Gina Martinez, CBS News, 24 Dec. 2023

Among these lawmakers was Shane Stringer, who had killed a person while on duty just outside Mobile in 2018, according to the Mobile County Sheriff's Office. —Umar Farooq, ProPublica, 28 Dec. 2023

Earlier this month, the City Council approved the creation of the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee and outlined its duties. —Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Dec. 2023

Adjective

His personnel file shows suspensions for not conducting his rounds during a shift while being shadowed by a recruit and for losing his duty belt and service weapon, which were reportedly stolen from his unlocked vehicle. —Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 28 June 2023

The gas-engine machines here are pro-duty and take the 50:1 gas-oil fuel mix. —Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 20 Mar. 2023

That included a gap of $714 in base pay and $1,204 in extra-duty pay. —Alia Wong, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2023

This is a light, easy-to-handle machine with adequate power for mid-duty jobs. —Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 21 Feb. 2023

On Wednesday, the city revoked the special event permit for the Aurora Pride group to hold the parade, saying not enough police officers had signed up for overtime or extra-duty shifts to provide adequate security for the event. —Megan Jones, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2022

The situation began shortly after 7 p.m. at the Neiman Marcus store when an Orlando police officer working an extra-duty shift at the mall kicked out a man of the store for acting oddly. —David Harris, Orlando Sentinel, 29 May 2022

The school board and the union also plan to change the district’s retirement program, extra-duty pay and the tuition reimbursement plan, and, according to the agreement, teachers’ workday will start and end 15 minutes before and after the students’. —Daniel I. Dorfman, chicagotribune.com, 15 Mar. 2022

Statewide peer coordinator Jeff Orrange said the nonprofit’s 2016 founding was not just in response to the Pulse shooting but also the rising numbers of non-duty deaths among firefighters, including those resulting from addiction and suicide. —Kalia Richardson, orlandosentinel.com, 9 June 2021

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Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English duete, from Anglo-French deueté, dueté, from deu due

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing duty

• active duty
• beyond the call of duty
• double duty
• do duty as
• duty bound
• duty-free
• heavy-duty
• in the line of duty
• jury duty
• line of duty
• sea duty
• duty to retreat
• off duty
• on duty
• succession duty
• temporary duty
• report for duty
• went beyond the call of duty
• death duty

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• active duty
• beyond the call of duty
• double duty
• do duty as
• duty bound
• duty-free
• heavy-duty
• in the line of duty
• jury duty
• line of duty
• sea duty
• duty to retreat
• off duty
• on duty
• succession duty
• temporary duty
• report for duty
• went beyond the call of duty
• death duty

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Kids Definition

duty

noun

du·​ty

ˈd(y)üt-ē

plural duties

1

: conduct due to parents and superiors : respect

2

: the action required by one's position or occupation

3

a

: a moral or legal obligation

b

: the force of moral obligation

4

: tax entry 2 sense 1

especially : a tax on imports

5

: the service required (as of an electric machine)

withstands heavy duty

Legal Definition

duty

noun

du·​ty

plural duties

1

: tasks, service, or functions that arise from one's position

performing a police officer's duties

also : a period of being on duty see also jury duty

2

: an obligation assumed (as by contract) or imposed by law to conduct oneself in conformance with a certain standard or to act in a particular way

duty of good faith

a duty to warn of danger

see also public duty doctrine, special duty doctrine

— duty of candor \ -​ˈkan-​dər \

: a duty obligating directors of a corporation to disclose all material facts known to them about a transaction when they are seeking shareholder approval

— duty of care

: a duty to use due care toward others in order to protect them from unnecessary risk of harm

— duty of fair representation

: a duty obligating a labor union to represent the employees in its collective bargaining unit fairly and in good faith

— duty of loyalty

: a duty obligating directors of a corporation to refrain from using their positions to further their own interests rather than the interests of the shareholders (as by self-dealing or fraud)

— fiduciary duty

: a duty obligating a fiduciary (as an agent or trustee) to act with loyalty and honesty and in a manner consistent with the best interests of the beneficiary of the fiduciary relationship (as a principal or trust beneficiary)

3

: tax

especially : a tax on imports

Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French deuté indebtedness, obligation, from deu owing, due, from Old French see due