Definition of oblige
obliged
;obliging
transitive verb
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.
obliger
nounExplore M-W
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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 of oblige from the Web
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BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel’s challenger in Germany’s national election called Sunday for the government to be obliged to invest a set amount in infrastructure such as roads, railways and schools.
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FT, metered access • Australia Takes the Lead on Weakening Encryption Australia became the first major western democracy to introduce legislation obliging companies to provide national security services with access to encrypted messaging.
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Moskalick obliged and eventually became a full-time coach.
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Her daughter, who now lives in Canada, likes to keep up with the goings-on back home, and Tsikurios always obliges.
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But Arenado did not oblige with a double-play grounder.
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Chamber members and guests were happy to oblige, shouting and waving as Toledano panned the camera across the room.
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Fans obliged, and the photos are not only creative, some of them are also pretty hilarious.
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When May announced the election, the tabloids obliged her by mounting a largely shocking and dishonest campaign against Corbyn.
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.
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."
Origin and Etymology of oblige
Middle English, from Anglo-French obliger, from Latin obligare, literally, to bind to, from ob- toward + ligare to bind — more at ligature
Synonym Discussion of oblige
OBLIGE Defined for English Language Learners
oblige
playDefinition of oblige for English Language Learners
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: to force or require (someone or something) to do something because of a law or rule or because it is necessary
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: to do something that someone has asked you to do : to do a favor for (someone)
OBLIGE Defined for Kids
Learn More about oblige
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for oblige Spanish Central: Translation of oblige Nglish: Translation of oblige for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of oblige for Arabic speakers
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