duty

[ doo-tee, dyoo- ]

/ ˈdu ti, ˈdyu- /

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See synonyms for: duty / duties on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural du·ties.

something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.

the binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right; moral or legal obligation.

an action or task required by a person's position or occupation; function: the duties of a clergyman.

the respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, superior, elder, etc.

an act or expression of respect.

a task or chore that a person is expected to perform: It's your duty to do the dishes.

Military.

an assigned task, occupation, or place of service: He was on radar duty for two years.
the military service required of a citizen by a country: After graduation, he began his duty.

Commerce. a specific or ad valorem tax imposed by law on the import or export of goods.

a payment, service, etc., imposed and enforceable by law or custom.

Chiefly British. tax: income duty.

Machinery.

the amount of work done by an engine per unit amount of fuel consumed.
the measure of effectiveness of any machine.

Agriculture. the amount of water necessary to provide for the crop in a given area.

Baby Talk. bowel movement.

OTHER WORDS FOR duty

1 commitment, responsibility, obligation; burden, charge, devoir.

3 concern, place, role.

6 assignment, chore, job, task.

10 assessment, impost, levy, tariff, toll, tithe.

See synonyms for duty on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about duty

do duty, to serve the same function; substitute for: bookcases that do duty as room dividers.

off duty, not at one's post or work; at liberty: They spent their days off duty in hiking and fishing.

on duty, at one's post or work; occupied; engaged: He was suspended from the force for being drunk while on duty.

Origin of duty

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English du(e)te, from Anglo-French duete; see due, -ty²

synonym study for duty

1. Duty, obligation refer to what one feels bound to do. Duty is what one performs, or avoids doing, in fulfillment of the permanent dictates of conscience, piety, right, or law: duty to one's country; one's duty to tell the truth, to raise children properly. An obligation is what one is bound to do to fulfill the dictates of usage, custom, or propriety, and to carry out a particular, specific, and often personal promise or agreement: financial obligations.

Words nearby duty

duteous, dutiable, dutiful, dutifully, Dutton, duty, duty-bound, duty-free, duty-free shop, duty officer, duty to retreat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use duty in a sentence

With more than 30 million people in the United States at least partially vaccinated against covid-19, you may wonder whether the shot has done its duty, arming your immune system to fight off infection.
Why you shouldn’t get a covid antibody test after your vaccine|Lindsey Bever|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
On the first Tuesday in December, the texts to Teen Line stacked up faster than the six volunteers on duty could answer them.
The loneliness of an interrupted adolescence|Ellen McCarthy|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
Extra duty provisions were tagged whenever the contract acknowledged the existence of such an arrangement.
How We Found Pricey Provisions in New Jersey Police Contracts|by Agnes Chang, Jeff Kao and Agnel Philip, ProPublica, and Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press|February 8, 2021|ProPublica
The former chief, Philip Zacche, pleaded guilty to taking money for extra duty work he didn’t do.
How the Police Bank Millions Through Their Union Contracts|by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press, and Agnes Chang, Jeff Kao and Agnel Philip, ProPublica|February 8, 2021|ProPublica

The story you tell is of deferring to others, out of an unspoken sense of duty — that this is how marriage or family work so you’re going to do your part.
Carolyn Hax: Left behind at the holidays? Start setting your life’s itinerary.|Carolyn Hax|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
In his view, a writer has only one duty: to be present in his books.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Our duty is to make sure that they realize that the Prophet is not avenged.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A passing off-duty school safety officer named Fred Lucas said that he had been told the man was a drug dealer.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The NOPD fired Knight in 1973 for stealing lumber from a construction site as an off-duty cop.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They selected an “easy mark” who turned out to be an off-duty NYC Housing Authority cop named James Carragher.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And as she hesitated between obedience to one and duty toward the other, her life, her love and future was in the balance.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Each did his duty, or was adjured to do it, in the "state of life to which it had pleased God to call him."
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
The dead bodies of the two men were guarded until next day, for justice to do its duty.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
That alone is being sent to your Majesty as a report, in order to inform you of everything, as is my duty.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
His duty it was to stand at the head of the scalding trough, watch in hand, to "time" the length of the scald, crying "Hog in!"
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various

British Dictionary definitions for duty

duty

/ (ˈdjuːtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

a task or action that a person is bound to perform for moral or legal reasons

respect or obedience due to a superior, older persons, etcfilial duty

the force that binds one morally or legally to one's obligations

a government tax, esp on imports

British

the quantity or intensity of work for which a machine is designed
a measure of the efficiency of a machine

the quantity of water necessary to irrigate an area of land to grow a particular crop

a job or service allocated
(as modifier)duty rota

do duty for to act as a substitute for

off duty not at work

on duty at work

Word Origin for duty

C13: from Anglo-French dueté, from Old French deu due

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for duty

duty

A tax charged by a government, especially on an import.

Other Idioms and Phrases with duty

duty

In addition to the idiom beginning with duty

duty bound

also see:

above and beyond (the call of duty)
active duty

do one's dutydouble dutyoff dutyon duty.

duty

OTHER WORDS FOR duty

Idioms about duty

Origin of duty

synonym study for duty

Words nearby duty

Words related to duty

How to use duty in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for duty

Word Origin for duty

Cultural definitions for duty

Other Idioms and Phrases with duty