oblige

verb

\ ə-ˈblīj

obliged; obliging

Definition of oblige

1 : to constrain by physical, moral, or legal force or by the exigencies of circumstance obliged to find a job felt obliged to share it with her

2a : to put in one's debt by a favor or service We are much obliged for your help.

b : to do a favor for always ready to oblige a friend

intransitive verb

: to do something as or as if as a favor When he was asked for advice, he obliged.

Other Words from oblige Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about oblige

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Synonyms & Antonyms for oblige

Synonyms

accommodate, favor

Antonyms

disoblige

Choose the Right Synonym for oblige

force, compel, coerce, constrain, oblige mean to make someone or something yield. force is the general term and implies the overcoming of resistance by the exertion of strength, power, or duress. forced to flee for their lives compel typically suggests overcoming of resistance or unwillingness by an irresistible force. compelled to admit my mistake coerce suggests overcoming resistance or unwillingness by actual or threatened violence or pressure. coerced into signing over the rights constrain suggests the effect of a force or circumstance that limits freedom of action or choice. constrained by conscience oblige implies the constraint of necessity, law, or duty. felt obliged to go

Did You Know?

Oblige shares some similarities with its close relative obligate, but there are also differences. Oblige derived via Middle English and Anglo-French from Latin obligare ("to bind to"), a combination of ob- ("to or toward") and ligare ("to bind"), whereas obligate descended directly from the past participle of obligare. Both oblige and obligate are frequently used in their past participle forms to express a kind of legal or moral constraint. Obligated once meant "indebted for a service or favor," but today it typically means "required to do something because the law requires it or because it is the right thing to do." Obliged is now the preferred term for the sense that Southern author Flannery O'Connor used in a 1952 letter: "I would be much obliged if you would send me six copies."

Examples of oblige in a Sentence

The law obliges the government to release certain documents to the public. Her job obliges her to work overtime and on weekends. She's always ready to oblige her friends. “Thank you for your help.” “I'm happy to oblige.” They asked for food and he obliged with soup and sandwiches.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fairfield University Art Museum, which opened in 2010 and had a relatively small permanent collection, was happy to oblige. — Daniel Grant, WSJ, "Art Donors Increasingly Look to University Museums," 10 Feb. 2019 All children of a certain age in their Uighur district were obliged to attend boarding school, Adil said. — Yanan Wang And Dake Kang, Fox News, "China distances children from families to subdue Muslim west," 20 Sep. 2018 However, there is no rule that a US president is obliged to return a salute, which is considered a sign of mutual respect. — Maegan Vazquez, CNN, "Sarah Sanders calls Trump's salute to North Korean general 'common courtesy'," 14 June 2018 The best tiara mishap involves two high-ranking women who loathed each other but were obliged to do the standard upper-crust air kisses. — Jessica Pan, The Cut, "The 10 Most Bizarre Royal Etiquette Rules," 17 May 2018 The pastor would suggest that church members were obliged to volunteer at the buffet to serve God and that not volunteering there would be the same as failing God, Pearson wrote. — Eric Heisig, cleveland.com, "Appeals court overturns ruling against televangelist Ernest Angley over use of unpaid workers at buffet," 16 Apr. 2018 That’s partly because, as my colleague Paolo Lucchesi writes, we are obliged to acknowledge our complicity as food media in promoting a system that allows harassment to continue, and encourages victims to put up with it. — San Francisco Chronicle, "Faded luster," 1 Apr. 2018 In the recent spat, the populist Italian government accuses France of obliging 14 African countries using the CFA franc currency, established in 1945, to buy French government bonds with half of their reserves to finance public spending in France. — Colleen Barry, The Seattle Times, "Italy’s Salvini lashes out at Macron as ‘terrible president’," 22 Jan. 2019 Morales asks her to repeat the look and Summers obliges. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Miss USA Slammed for Mocking Two Asian Miss Universe Contestants For Not Speaking English," 13 Dec. 2018

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

History and Etymology for oblige

Middle English obligen, oblischen "to impose on as a legal or moral duty, bind by oath or contract," borrowed from Anglo-French obliger, borrowed from Latin obligāre "to tie up, restrain by tying, assign, place under a legal or moral constraint, pledge," from ob- "toward, facing" + ligāre "to fasten, bind" — more at ob-, ligature

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