duty

1 of 2

noun

du·ty ˈdü-tē

also ˈdyü-

plural duties

Synonyms of duty next

: conduct due to parents and superiors : respect

filial duty and obedience—

John Locke

: obligatory tasks, conduct, service, or functions that arise from one's position (as in life or in a group)

was his duty to support his family

Her primary duty at the meeting was to take attendance.

performs a variety of administrative duties

b(1)

: assigned service or business

was put on kitchen duty

jury duty

(2)

: active military service

returning from duty overseas

(3)

: a period of being on duty

report for duty at 7 a.m.

: a moral or legal obligation

felt it was their duty to help

: the force of moral obligation

will be ready when duty calls

: tax

especially : a tax on imports

a 15 percent duty

: work sense 1c

b(1)

: the service required (as of an electric machine) under specified conditions

(2)

: functional application : use

got double duty out of the trip

(3)

: use as a substitute

making the word do duty for the thing—

Edward Sapir

duty

2 of 2

adjective

: done as a duty

pay a duty call on her elderly aunt

: being on duty : assigned to specified tasks or functions

the duty officer

Phrases

off duty

: free from assignment or responsibility

a police officer who was off duty at the time

on duty

: engaged in or responsible for an assigned task or duty

not allowed to take personal calls while on duty

Choose the Right Synonym for duty

function, office, duty, province mean the acts or operations expected of a person or thing.

function implies a definite end or purpose or a particular kind of work.

the function of language is two-fold: to communicate emotion and to give information —

Aldous Huxley

office is typically applied to the function or service associated with a trade or profession or a special relationship to others.

they exercise the offices of the judge, the priest, the counsellor —

W. E. Gladstone

duty applies to a task or responsibility imposed by one's occupation, rank, status, or calling.

it is the judicial duty of the court, to examine the whole case —

R. B. Taney

province applies to a function, office, or duty that naturally or logically falls to one.

I felt it was not my province to inquire —

Anne Brontë

task, duty, job, chore, stint, assignment mean a piece of work to be done.

task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

charged with a variety of tasks

duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

the duties of a lifeguard

job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

the job of turning the company around

chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

every child was assigned chores

stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

a 2-month stint as a reporter

assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

a reporter's assignment

Example Sentences

Noun His primary duty at the event is to take attendance. If new employees are unable to carry out their duties, they may be fired. We felt it was our duty to help. He has a duty to support his family. They helped her out of a sense of duty. I'll be ready when duty calls. Her brother returned from duty overseas. a twelve-month tour of duty Many reserve troops were called into active duty. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Our duty is to the Constitution of the United States. —

ABC News, 19 Mar. 2023 What is certain in the villages around Balad, according to doctors, community leaders and residents, is that those living downwind of the flames were exposed to the smoke for at least eight years — a tour of military duty was often just one. —

Mustafa Salim, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2023 According to the documents, Smith had been charged with neglect of duty, unauthorized public statements, and compliance with regulations. —

Nick Valencia, CNN, 18 Mar. 2023 Those deputies — Gisel Del Real and Carrie Robles — were each relieved of duty in September, and detectives showed up at Del Real’s home to ask her questions and seize evidence. —

Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2023 Executives at such companies typically have a clear duty to refrain from using company information for their own personal benefit, according to experts. —

Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 16 Mar. 2023 Due to the quick response of the staff on duty and Springville Police SRO the matter was immediately secured without disruption to the school day. —

Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 15 Mar. 2023 Producers also have to consider their fiduciary duty to investors. —

Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2023 Many predict that Hunt will freeze the duty at the current level, a policy successive administrations have maintained for 12 years. —

Julia Malleck, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2023

Adjective

That included a gap of $714 in base pay and $1,204 in extra-duty pay. —

Alia Wong, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2023 This is a light, easy-to-handle machine with adequate power for mid-duty jobs. —

Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 21 Feb. 2023 On Wednesday, the city revoked the special event permit for the Aurora Pride group to hold the parade, saying not enough police officers had signed up for overtime or extra-duty shifts to provide adequate security for the event. —

Megan Jones, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2022 The situation began shortly after 7 p.m. at the Neiman Marcus store when an Orlando police officer working an extra-duty shift at the mall kicked out a man of the store for acting oddly. —

David Harris, Orlando Sentinel, 29 May 2022 The school board and the union also plan to change the district’s retirement program, extra-duty pay and the tuition reimbursement plan, and, according to the agreement, teachers’ workday will start and end 15 minutes before and after the students’. —

Daniel I. Dorfman, chicagotribune.com, 15 Mar. 2022 Statewide peer coordinator Jeff Orrange said the nonprofit’s 2016 founding was not just in response to the Pulse shooting but also the rising numbers of non-duty deaths among firefighters, including those resulting from addiction and suicide. —

Kalia Richardson, orlandosentinel.com, 9 June 2021 As an example, our top choice is an excellent mid-duty machine with 6,400 bpm and 3,000 pounds force. —

Bob Beacham, chicagotribune.com, 12 Mar. 2021 Those extra-duty assignments often make up a substantial part of a driver’s monthly earnings. —

Don Stacom, courant.com, 2 Sep. 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'duty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English duete, from Anglo-French deueté, dueté, from deu due

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of duty was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Duty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duty. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

duty

noun

du·ty

ˈd(y)üt-ē

plural duties

: conduct due to parents and superiors : respect

: the action required by one's position or occupation

: a moral or legal obligation

: the force of moral obligation

: tax entry 2 sense 1

especially : a tax on imports

: the service required (as of an electric machine)

withstands heavy duty

Legal Definition

duty

noun

du·ty

plural duties

: tasks, service, or functions that arise from one's position

performing a police officer's duties

also : a period of being on duty see also jury duty

: an obligation assumed (as by contract) or imposed by law to conduct oneself in conformance with a certain standard or to act in a particular way

duty of good faith

a duty to warn of danger

see also public duty doctrine, special duty doctrine

— duty of candor \ -ˈkan-dər \

: a duty obligating directors of a corporation to disclose all material facts known to them about a transaction when they are seeking shareholder approval

— duty of care

: a duty to use due care toward others in order to protect them from unnecessary risk of harm

— duty of fair representation

: a duty obligating a labor union to represent the employees in its collective bargaining unit fairly and in good faith

— duty of loyalty

: a duty obligating directors of a corporation to refrain from using their positions to further their own interests rather than the interests of the shareholders (as by self-dealing or fraud)

— fiduciary duty

: a duty obligating a fiduciary (as an agent or trustee) to act with loyalty and honesty and in a manner consistent with the best interests of the beneficiary of the fiduciary relationship (as a principal or trust beneficiary)