duty-bound
adjective
morally obliged as a matter of duty
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duty-bound
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duty bound
duty boundObliged, as in You're duty bound to help your little brother. [c. 1900]
duty-bound
Britishadjective
duty bound
Idioms
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.
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By 1940, however, Trautman felt duty-bound to volunteer for military service, requesting “active duty with a library assignment” in the Army.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I’m drawn to police detectives, not private detectives,” he says, pointing to the duty-bound, badge-wearing protagonist in “Cure,” a Criterion-anointed classic now held in the same pantheon of serial killer tales as “Seven” and “Manhunter.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
In the world of Martin’s books, even the most duty-bound characters must find their compass in the shadow of life and memory.
From Salon ● Feb. 25, 2026
Sometimes, a patient makes an unconventional choice, but if the patient is competent and the request is fundamentally reasonable, the physician is duty-bound to comply.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2024
Then, suddenly, with one of her most audible sighs, she stood up and, grim and duty-bound, moved into the washstand area Zooey had vacated.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
But he added the force was duty bound to carry out its work as rigorously as possible.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2024
“The county prosecutors are duty bound to follow Ohio law,” he wrote, noting that the memo would suffice as he office’s only comment on the matter.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
He said he felt "duty bound" to accept the outcome of the inquiry but also staunchly defended his conduct.
From Reuters ● Apr. 21, 2023
That’s what we try to get them to do all the time, seeking to coax tiny morsels of information out of people we know are duty bound not to disclose it.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2023
To Aron’s questions he replied that he was working on a surprise and was duty bound to tell no one.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions 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.
