liable
Americanadjective
-
legally responsible.
You are liable for the damage caused by your action.
- Synonyms:
- accountable, answerable
-
subject or susceptible.
to be liable to heart disease.
-
likely or apt.
He's liable to get angry.
adjective
-
legally obliged or responsible; answerable
-
susceptible or exposed; subject
-
probable, likely, or capable
it's liable to happen soon
Usage
Liable is often interchangeable with likely in constructions with a following infinitive where the sense is that of probability: The Sox are liable (or likely ) to sweep the Series. Some usage guides, however, say that liable can be used only in contexts in which the outcome is undesirable: The picnic is liable to be spoiled by rain. This use occurs often in formal writing but not to the exclusion of use in contexts in which the outcome is desirable: The drop in unemployment is liable to stimulate the economy. Apt may also be used in place of liable or likely in all the foregoing examples. See also apt, likely.
The use of liable to to mean likely to was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of liable
First recorded in 1535–45; from Anglo-French “to bind,” from Latin ligāre ) + -able
Explanation
If you drive into someone's fence, you’ll probably be held liable — legally responsible — for fixing it. Liable can also mean “likely,” usually with something unpleasant: "If you don't brush your teeth, they're liable to fall out." When liable refers to legal responsibility, it's used with "for": "You're liable for the court costs" (meaning you have to pay them). When liable means "likely," it's with "to": "If you build your house on that cliff, it's liable to fall into the river," or "That part of town is liable to mudslides." Don't confuse liable with libel, which is a legal term for slander, or saying something false and damaging about someone.
Vocabulary lists containing liable
The Diary of Anne Frank
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List 4
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A New Mexico jury previously found the social media giant liable for harms to children, leading to a combined penalty of $942 million.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
If found liable, they could be fined if they have not properly undergone a "domestic duty of care".
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
At the maximum penalty of $5,000 per violation, Meta could have been liable for a penalty of $219.5 billion; the judge, showing compassion, cut that to $25 billion without explaining his reasoning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
A state jury found the social-media giant liable for misleading the state’s consumers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The Court ruled these tenants could be held civilly liable for the nonviolent behavior of their children and caregivers.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
