Definition of liabilitynext
1
2
as in responsibility
the state of being held as the cause of something that needs to be set right the liability for the accident is held by the person who was driving too fast

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3
as in exposure
the state of being left without shelter or protection against something harmful failure to properly clean the wound could increase your liability to infection

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
5
as in debt
usually liabilities plural something (as money) which is owed your liabilities total about $200,000

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of liability At the same time, the company has tried to persuade states to enact laws shielding it from liability in failure-to-warn lawsuits, and three states have agreed. Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026 Experts said a ruling for the company could significantly narrow its liability in tens of thousands of cases moving slowly through the courts. Carrie Johnson, NPR, 25 June 2026 Speed, the main hallmark that makes agentic AI so compelling, suddenly becomes a liability. Stu Sjouwerman, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 But some companies are still holding non-refundable film credits that were issued before then, and could not be claimed against tax liability due to previous state limits on credit utilization. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for liability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liability
Noun
  • Consider both carefully, then, as each comes with significant advantages and disadvantages in today's economy.
    Matt Richardson, CBS News, 17 June 2026
  • Circumstances have put them at every possible disadvantage.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Noun
  • In the interim, Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight assumed Hill’s responsibilities.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2026
  • In that way, a commitment to physical fitness and its various metrics offers leaders greater tolerance for the demanding responsibilities of the role.
    Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • Heatstroke becomes possible with prolonged exposure or physical activity.
    Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 25 June 2026
  • After the Eaton fire leveled swaths of Altadena and Pasadena — including his own home — photographer Kevin Cooley returned with strobes and long exposures to document what survived.
    Marah Eakin, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • According to the American Heart Association, respiratory viruses like the flu increase the likelihood of ischemic stroke in the weeks and months following infection.
    Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026
  • Your pet can increase the likelihood of you socializing with other people, forming friendships and receiving social support, according to a 2015 study.
    Yvonne Villasenor, USA Today, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • African and Caribbean leaders are demanding financial compensation, debt cancellation and formal apologies from countries that benefited from the transatlantic slave trade after adopting a sweeping reparations plan at a conference in Ghana.
    Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2026
  • And corporate debt issuance could top $2 trillion by year’s end.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 20 June 2026
Noun
  • The handicap is determined by a volunteer gathering data in the air and a committee that calculates the maximum airspeed of each craft.
    Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 June 2026
  • Essentially, my handicap is that Journalism can draft Knightsbridge around the course and outkick the rest of the field on the closing stretch.
    Geoff Clark OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
Noun
  • Fans split over who carries the blame, from the fighter and his team to the commission and the promotion.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
  • Sellers place a lot of blame on Sundance’s online platform, but a major factor is streamers became primary buyers of Sundance films — and then the streamers opted out of compression and bet on ubiquity.
    Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • In the absence of an official investigation, the incident last September has been magnified, and perhaps embellished, in the minds of veterans living on the campus, a community defined by the vulnerability of physical disability, substance use and trauma.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
  • Heat risk is some function of heat exposure, vulnerability, the ability to adapt to or manage the exposure, complacency, and misunderstanding of the new realities of climate change.
    Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Liability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liability. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.

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