liable

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adjective li·a·ble \ˈlī-ə-bəl, especially in sense 2 often ˈlī-bəl\

Definition of liable

1a : obligated according to law or equity (see equity 2) : responsible liable for the debts incurred by his wifeb : subject to appropriation or attachment All his property is liable to pay his debts.
2a : being in a position to incur —used with to liable to a fineb : exposed or subject to some usually adverse contingency or action watch out or you're liable to fall

See liable defined for English-language learners

liable vs. apt

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.

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 of liable from the Web

In that instance, back in the 1990's, even a seemingly favorable appeals-court ruling that the media could only be held liable for trespass caused many outlets to downsize their investigative divisions.

— steven zeitchik, latimes.com, "Exploring the 1st Amendment in a time of Trump-media showdowns", 30 June 2017
But the appellate court upended that practice, ruling that an individual principal of a corporation could not be held personally liable just because a certification was signed.

— ronda kaysen, New York Times, "New Condo Complaints Heat Up", 30 June 2017
Anyone not hewing to the strict environmentalist line is liable to be burned at the rhetorical stake.

— robert d. atkinson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Can we restore civility to Washington policy debates?", 29 June 2017
Duke inherited the two plants from another company and was liable to clean up the pollutants at the plants that closed in 1928 and 1963.

— sarah brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "Ohio Supreme Court rules Duke Energy can collect $55 million in pollution cleanup fees from customers", 29 June 2017
But there’s a catch: the rescuer could be liable for up to 50 percent of the damage to the vehicle.

— kaitlin l lange, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana laws taking effect July 1: drone limits, fake urine ban and pet protections", 29 June 2017
The law, section 230 of the Telecommunications Act, was passed after Prodigy was sued and held liable for defamation for a post written by a user on a computer message board.

— julia angwin, propublica, and hannes grassegger, Ars Technica, "Facebook’s secret rules mean that it’s OK to be anti-Islam, but not anti-gay", 28 June 2017
JetBlue won't be liable for damage, loss, or spoilage.

— cynthia drescher, Condé Nast Traveler, "TSA Finds 20-Pound Lobster in Checked Bag", 27 June 2017
And as his firing of Comey showed, Trump is liable to make impulsive decisions when his pride is on the line.

— isobel thompson, The Hive, "Why Trump’s Latest Power Play Is a Recipe for Disaster", 14 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'liable'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of liable

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

LIABLE Defined for English Language Learners

liable

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adjective

Definition of liable for English Language Learners

: legally responsible for something
: likely to be affected or harmed by something
: likely to do something

LIABLE Defined for Kids

liable

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adjective li·a·ble \ˈlī-ə-bəl\

Definition of liable for Students

1 : likely 1 It's liable to rain.
2 : judged by law to be responsible for something We are liable for damage that we do.
3 : not sheltered or protected (as from danger or accident) liable to injury

Law Dictionary

liable

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adjective li·a·ble \ˈlī-ə-bəl\

Legal Definition of liable

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)
2a : being in a position to incur —used with to liable to a fine property liable to duties b : subject or amenable according to law