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Synonyms

incumbent on

Idioms  

  1. Also, incumbent upon. Imposed as an obligation or duty on, obligatory for. For example, He felt it was incumbent on us all to help the homeless. [Mid-1500s]

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.

“It is incumbent on Congress to understand why such a failure occurred.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

“It’s incumbent on every single one of us to put our best foot forward,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 20, 2025

As the governing party at the time, he added, it was "incumbent on us" to show the party could deliver its policy programme.

From BBC • Oct. 5, 2025

"But no matter where you're going in the world, I think it's important for people to remember that it's incumbent on you, the traveller, to engage responsibly with the destination."

From BBC • Sep. 27, 2025

It seems incumbent on us to take a look.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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.