responsibility
noun
re·spon·si·bil·i·ty
ri-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 
plural responsibilities
1
: the quality or state of being responsible: such as
a
: moral, legal, or mental accountability
take/accept/claim responsibility for the incident
b
: reliability, trustworthiness
She is completely lacking in responsibility.
The students learned a sense of responsibility with the project.
2
: something for which one is responsible : burden
has neglected his responsibilities
Examples of responsibility in a Sentence
… Landau's piece, examining the fan's, and the journalist's responsibility to rock stars …
—
Lawrence Dietz, Los Angeles Times Book Review, 23 May 1971
A great soprano has a responsibility to her public …
—Robert Evett, Atlantic, September 1970
The responsibility for engineering the line of cars which in 1908 evolved the immortal Model T …
—John Kenneth Galbraith, New York Times Book Review, 28 Feb. 1954
Anthony Burton had once said that this was your responsibility toward society.
—John P. Marquand, Atlantic, Nov. 1947
The boys denied any responsibility for the damage to the fence.
A terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The janitor has many responsibilities.
Mowing the lawn is your responsibility.
She has to deal with a lot of family and work responsibilities.
It is your responsibility to give the company two weeks notice if you decide to leave.
In her new position, she will have much more responsibility.
We have a responsibility to protect the environment.
The government's responsibility is to serve the public.
The principal has responsibility for 450 students and a staff of 35.
Lawrence Dietz, Los Angeles Times Book Review, 23 May 1971
A great soprano has a responsibility to her public …
—Robert Evett, Atlantic, September 1970
The responsibility for engineering the line of cars which in 1908 evolved the immortal Model T …
—John Kenneth Galbraith, New York Times Book Review, 28 Feb. 1954
Anthony Burton had once said that this was your responsibility toward society.
—John P. Marquand, Atlantic, Nov. 1947
The boys denied any responsibility for the damage to the fence.
A terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The janitor has many responsibilities.
Mowing the lawn is your responsibility.
She has to deal with a lot of family and work responsibilities.
It is your responsibility to give the company two weeks notice if you decide to leave.
In her new position, she will have much more responsibility.
We have a responsibility to protect the environment.
The government's responsibility is to serve the public.
The principal has responsibility for 450 students and a staff of 35.
Recent Examples on the Web
But Conley did not respond to questions Friday about what those traffic charges were, only saying the chase fit within department policy and placing responsibility on the driver of the fleeing truck.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 2 Jan. 2026
Their responsibilities include accelerating battlefield decision-making, improving logistics efficiency, and supporting robotics and autonomous systems.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
When The Property Owner Pays If an otherwise healthy tree or limb falls due to storm damage or wind, the responsibility usually lies with the person whose property was damaged.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
Congress could relieve the Fed of its bailout responsibilities, assigning that job to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, subject to congressional approval.
—Aaron Klein, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for responsibility
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.
Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 2 Jan. 2026
Their responsibilities include accelerating battlefield decision-making, improving logistics efficiency, and supporting robotics and autonomous systems.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
When The Property Owner Pays If an otherwise healthy tree or limb falls due to storm damage or wind, the responsibility usually lies with the person whose property was damaged.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
Congress could relieve the Fed of its bailout responsibilities, assigning that job to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, subject to congressional approval.
—Aaron Klein, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for responsibility
Cite this Entry
“Responsibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/responsibility. Accessed 4 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
responsibility
noun
re·spon·si·bil·i·ty
ri-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē
plural responsibilities
1
: the quality or state of being responsible
2
: the quality of being dependable
3
: something for which one is responsible
neglected his responsibilities
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share