duty

[ doo-tee, dyoo- ]

/ ˈdu ti, ˈdyu- /

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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.

Nearby words

Idioms

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

1250–1300; Middle English du(e)te < Anglo-French duete. See due, -ty²

SYNONYMS FOR duty

3. responsibility, business. 4. deference.

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Synonym study

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for duty

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
He disagrees, though, and says it is the duty of every person—men, especially—to speak up on this issue.
Can Hip-Hop Prevent Honor Killings?|Moral Courage|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They knew they might see things that will disturb them, but could not deter them from their duty.
Any Outrage Out There for Ramos and Liu, Protesters?|Mike Barnicle|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Patrick Lynch, had said that De Blasio should stay away from the funerals of any police officers killed in the line of duty.
Two Cops ‘Assassinated’ in Brooklyn|Michael Daly|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"God grant that Canada may see its duty clearly," said Mr. McPherson.
The Major|Ralph Connor
We were such good friends, and we felt, I daresay, that it was our duty to love each other.
Robert Orange|John Oliver Hobbes
If he had been alive I am certain he would not have shirked his duty.
Yule Logs|Various
There was a large yard at the back, and in one corner of it was the shed, which did duty for a stable.
Under the Red Crescent|Charles S. Ryan
We found that Mrs. Spiker had secured her rights, and was on duty that day as nurse.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd

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

Word Origin and History for duty

duty

late 13c., from Anglo-French duete, from Old French deu "due, owed; proper, just," from Vulgar Latin *debutus, from Latin debitus, past participle of debere "to owe" (see debt). Related: Duties. The sense of "tax or fee on imports, exports, etc." is from late 15c.; duty-free as a noun is attested from 1958.

Culture definitions for duty

duty

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

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

noun, plural du·ties.

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of duty

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for duty

duty

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for duty

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