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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 obligate
It will be funded incrementally by the US Air Force, with $35,774,115 obligated at the time of the award.
—
Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
Feeling obligated to respond, even to small messages, creates low-level stress.
—Shadé Zahrai, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2025
Like other businesses, Brill's company is obligated to pay taxes on income.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 26 Dec. 2025
Private businesses can decide to give their employees time off, but they are not obligated to by law.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Freep.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obligate
Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025
Feeling obligated to respond, even to small messages, creates low-level stress.
—Shadé Zahrai, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2025
Like other businesses, Brill's company is obligated to pay taxes on income.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 26 Dec. 2025
Private businesses can decide to give their employees time off, but they are not obligated to by law.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Freep.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for obligate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligate
Verb
-
Unlike last April, when the Dolphins seemingly felt compelled to address defensive line after ignoring it in free agency, Miami should be able to enter April’s NFL Draft with a more open-minded approach.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
-
In the late 18th century, just a few decades before Mary Shelley wrote her science fiction masterpiece, the Italian surgeon Luigi Galvani jolted the scientific community with experiments that used metal and electricity to compel disembodied frog legs to kick.—
Elise Cutts,
Quanta Magazine,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Investigators accuse him of coercing middle school football players to perform nude exercises in a locker room and secretly photographing them in various stages of undress.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Trump may hope that the threat of more danger from above can coerce the Venezuelan regime into acting in ways Washington wants.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
With temperatures climbing above freezing and sunny skies melting half the structure, they were forced to start over entirely.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Twenty-two people — two civilians and 20 firefighters — were injured and thousands were forced to evacuate.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Russian officials were quick to clarify that the strategic partnership between Moscow and Tehran did not oblige Russia to intervene militarily if Iran were attacked.—
Nathan Hodge,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Grok initially refused to put clown makeup on a Jama photo at the request of one user, but when another person said the photo was not of Jama, Grok soon obliged.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligate. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
