as in to compel
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the problem is of your own making, so don't think that you can obligate me to help
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Recent Examples of obligate
Torre said Leonard wasn’t obligated to perform actions for payment and that the endorsement deal would end if Leonard was traded.
—
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Iran is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that obligates it not to enrich uranium for military purposes.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Min said the clause protects officers from guilt-by-association when legally obligated to assist federal operations.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
And Atapco would not be obligated to provide the $100,000 to Aria for infrastructure improvements nor help NCDOT or CDOT add a light or crosswalk onto Mallard Creek Road.
—Desiree Mathurin
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obligate
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Iran is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that obligates it not to enrich uranium for military purposes.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Min said the clause protects officers from guilt-by-association when legally obligated to assist federal operations.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
And Atapco would not be obligated to provide the $100,000 to Aria for infrastructure improvements nor help NCDOT or CDOT add a light or crosswalk onto Mallard Creek Road.
—Desiree Mathurin
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for obligate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligate
Verb
-
Grant was compelled to celebrate the nation’s hundredth anniversary just as its boldest experiment in democracy to date was being dismantled.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Her new perspective gazes at us directly, compelling us to meet her eye.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Without that market competition, the plaintiffs argued, gamers were coerced into paying higher prices, effectively allowing Sony to monopolize the sale of its digital PlayStation games.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
-
Emerging in the 1940s, this framework reframed fertility not as something to be coerced outright, but as something that could — and should — be rationally managed through planning, education, and access to contraception.—
Sonya Borrero,
STAT,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Let things settle, then take one clear step that actually feels aligned and manageable without forcing unnecessary effort or adding extra pressure to yourself.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
Though embedded in society, these young characters are Kaspar Hauser-like figures, spectrally isolated from the signifying world, forced to construct meaning for themselves, from the ground up.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Of course, Brown obliged the crowd’s request for second-year point guard Tyler Kolek.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
-
If the Wild want to play like this for the whole series — a lot of wide-open stuff, with a little dirty mixed in — the Avs are more than happy to oblige.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligate. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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