obliges

verb

present tense third-person singular of oblige
1
as in accommodates
to do a service or favor for I would appreciate it greatly if you could oblige me by bringing a dessert to the party

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in compels
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure I know you're in a hurry, but you can't oblige me to drive any faster than the speed limit

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 obliges The following day, the state added him to its official register of terrorists and extremists, a designation that obliges Russian banks to freeze his assets. — Susie Violet Ward, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 Zeus obliges, striking their ship with a thunderbolt that destroys it and kills every member of Odysseus’ crew except the king himself. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026 That emergency obliges all of us — critical filmmakers, activists, big and small festivals — to be more courageous. — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 18 June 2026 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 Finally, the series rests on the shoulders of the three principal players, who are just a pleasure to watch; the camera obliges by moving in close. — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026 The 2026 Ram 1500 definitely obliges in that comfort. — New Atlas, 31 Mar. 2026 The terms of the deal between property owners and the government obliges these landlords to keep rents affordable for their occupants for decades, generally restricting rent to about 30% of tenants’ income. — Brian Y. An, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliges
  1. accommodates
  2. compels
  3. appeases
  4. coerces
  5. indulges
  6. obligates
  7. favors
  8. forces
Verb
  • The mid-sized 737-8 carries 160 to 180 passengers across a range of up to 3,500 nautical miles (6,480 km), whereas the larger 737-9 accommodates 175 to 195 passengers with a maximum range of 3,300 nautical miles (6,110 km).
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026
  • People like them want to work, but finding a job that safely accommodates their disease management is easier said than done, Schroer said.
    — Helen Branswell, STAT, 30 July 2026
Definition of accommodates
Verb
  • The competitive pressure to achieve maximal adoption compels a convergence toward openness.
    — Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Odysseus’ curiosity, meanwhile, compels him to stay and learn of the cave’s inhabitant.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
Definition of compels
Verb
  • The menu appeases a multitude of appetites.
    — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2026
  • The discharge petition comes as Republicans have failed to put a plan for healthcare forward that appeases all of their caucus, as a small group seeks to work across the aisle for a solution.
    — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 10 Dec. 2025
Definition of appeases
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
Definition of coerces
Verb
  • Lee indulges that emotional ambiguity, the way the pedal steel can blur the distinction between a frown and a smile.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026
  • Chris is a freelance journalist who, when not writing, skywatching, playing games or building Lego, indulges his taste for horror, sci-fi and the post-apocalyptic.
    — Chris McMullen, Space.com, 24 June 2026
Definition of indulges
Verb
  • Zeus’s Law obligates Telemachus and Odysseus’s wife Penelope to host the suitors who hope to marry her in Odysseus’s absence.
    — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
  • The Montreux Convention obligates Turkey to allow commercial ships freedom of passage, but allows the country to charge for some specific things, including sanitary, pilotage, towage and lighthouse services.
    — Joanne Stocker, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of obligates
Verb
  • Where OpenAI wants federal law to override the states, Anthropic favors preserving state AI laws unless Congress passes something at least as strong, framing preemption as a floor to build on rather than a ceiling to impose.
    — Paulo Carvão, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • An influential trade group that favors the importation of refined products is leading the charge, in a move that would undermine Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, who says his 650,000 barrels-a-day refinery can meet Nigeria’s energy needs.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of favors
Verb
  • Sending $200 to Sub-Saharan Africa still costs about 8% on average, and correspondent banking still forces companies to park idle cash around the world.
    — Alex Odagiu, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Road safety experts are increasingly concerned about tech that forces drivers to look away from the road to tap physical screens.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 July 2026
Definition of forces

Browse Nearby Words

obliged
obliges
obliging
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Obliges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliges. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on obliges

Nglish: Translation of obliges for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All