as in compels
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 obligates
The automotive groups accused Volkswagen of violating a standard dealer agreement, which obligates the company to sell its products through authorized dealerships.
—
Chase Jordan
may 19, Charlotte Observer, 19 May 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
The collective defense clause, if invoked by a member state, obligates all other members of the transatlantic alliance to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.
—Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
Europe’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) obligates foreign streaming services to invest a portion of their revenue into local productions, but leaves the modalities of this obligation to each individual country.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
The registry obligates legitimate telemarketers to stop calling numbers listed on it.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
In prior administrations, including during my time in the Obama administration, such leverage ran into statutory guardrails under the Taiwan Relations Act, which obligates the United States to provide Taiwan defensive capabilities.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
Orange County’s agreement with ICE only obligates the county to detain up to 114 people, but the county was housing, on average, 140 inmates a day in January and last week, the count hit 182.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
The federal law dating back to 1967 obligates government agencies to turn over records to the public with some exceptions.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
Chase Jordan
may 19, Charlotte Observer, 19 May 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
The collective defense clause, if invoked by a member state, obligates all other members of the transatlantic alliance to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.
—Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
Europe’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) obligates foreign streaming services to invest a portion of their revenue into local productions, but leaves the modalities of this obligation to each individual country.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
The registry obligates legitimate telemarketers to stop calling numbers listed on it.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
In prior administrations, including during my time in the Obama administration, such leverage ran into statutory guardrails under the Taiwan Relations Act, which obligates the United States to provide Taiwan defensive capabilities.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
Orange County’s agreement with ICE only obligates the county to detain up to 114 people, but the county was housing, on average, 140 inmates a day in January and last week, the count hit 182.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
The federal law dating back to 1967 obligates government agencies to turn over records to the public with some exceptions.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligates
Verb
-
Richard Dreyfuss stars as an Indiana electric lineman/dad who gets discombobulated after a light from a passing UFO compels him to do weirdo things — like build a mountain replica inside of his home.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
-
Finding a way to do that, to have in-person contact with others to help them, literally compels her out of bed in the morning.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The court replaced it with a read-in version that obliges parliament to refer a panel’s findings to the impeachment committee, which is responsible for conducting a full inquiry into the hearing evidence, determining whether grounds exist to remove a sitting president.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
-
Johnson obliges, gently removing the lid.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The space vacated down the right wing is attacked by Cunha, who forces Mathias Villasanti deeper, creating a bigger area for Guimaraes to receive the ball into.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
-
This forces doctors to rely largely on supportive care for people in advanced stages of disease.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obligates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligates. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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