responsibility

noun re·spon·si·bil·i·ty \ ri-ˌspän(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Examples: responsibility in a Sentence

Definition of responsibility

plural responsibilities

1 : the quality or state of being responsible: such as

a : moral, legal, or mental accountability

b : reliability, trustworthiness

2 : something for which one is responsible : burden

has neglected his responsibilities

See responsibility defined for English-language learners

See responsibility defined for kids

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.

Recent Examples of responsibility from the Web

West Sacramento's recent decision to accept greater responsibility for maintaining levees and drainage systems along the Sacramento River has some residents worried that the city could be swamped financially if the area floods.

— kellen browning, sacbee, "Could West Sacramento be forced to pay up if the river floods? Mayor and residents disagree," 18 June 2018
Finding kids activities and running them to the pool — on top of work and other responsibilities at home can make for one busy summer.

— kroger, The Courier-Journal, "School's out for summer! Now what? Simplify with these 6 tips for parents," 18 June 2018
In 2016, after finally accepting responsibility for its role in bringing the epidemic to Haiti, the U.N. announced a new approach to ease the plight of Haitians.

— jacqueline charles, miamiherald, "U.S. Congress to U.N.: What are you doing to compensate Haiti's cholera victims?," 15 June 2018
Meanwhile, the generic-and-lumbering Mr. Incredible is floored by his most diabolical villain yet: responsibility.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Incredibles 2 review: Brad Bird, Pixar are on fire with this superhero sequel," 15 June 2018
McGrady said one possibility is the cities taking over that line and bearing responsibility for it.

— erika butler, The Aegis, "Aberdeen to continue water talks with Havre de Grace, nail down costs," 14 June 2018
Villagers argued about how to share responsibility for maintaining the atrapanieblas.

— The Economist, "The feisty fog-catchers of Chile," 14 June 2018
Jackson took responsibility for signing off on the salary bumps (Greenwire, April 10).

— robin bravender, Science | AAAS, "Obama official would have led EPA’s climate science debate—if all agencies took part," 13 June 2018
The myriad problems that day turned into an algebra of blame—so many had failed to carry out their duties that no one source could be concretely assigned sole responsibility.

— francine uenuma, Smithsonian, "The Iroquois Theater Disaster Killed Hundreds and Changed Fire Safety Forever," 12 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of responsibility

see responsible

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1771

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

responsibility Synonyms

RESPONSIBILITY Defined for English Language Learners

responsibility

noun

Definition of responsibility for English Language Learners

: the state of being the person who caused something to happen
: a duty or task that you are required or expected to do
: something that you should do because it is morally right, legally required, etc.