liability
Americannoun
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liabilities,
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Finance. moneys owed; debts or pecuniary obligations (opposed to assets).
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Accounting. liabilities as detailed on a balance sheet, especially in relation to assets and capital.
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something disadvantageous.
His lack of education is his biggest liability.
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Also liableness the state or quality of being liable.
liability to disease.
noun
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the state of being liable
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a financial obligation
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a hindrance or disadvantage
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likelihood or probability
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of liability
Explanation
A liability is a debt or obligation or a personal flaw that stands in your way. A company's liabilities are simply the debts on its ledger, but a personal liability might be your extreme shyness in social situations. Depending on how you use it, the word liability has very different meanings. In a business or financial sense, a liability is a debt or fiscal obligation, like a mortgage or a loan. A limited liability company means if the company fails, the partners are on the hook for only what they initially invested in the company. A personal liability, however, is some element of your past, your character, or your behavior that might give you a disadvantage.
Vocabulary lists containing liability
The Lightning Thief
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The Kite Runner
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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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.
Every country watching these conflicts understands that dependence on any single energy supplier is a strategic liability.
From Salon • May 21, 2026
"Crucially, the New York Times would face a far more stringent burden of proof in Israel than under the US standard, as a mere lack of malice is insufficient to avoid liability," he said.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
“There’s this huge unknown liability for people whose streets didn’t have a sewer line,” Hanisee said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
The judge will make the final decision on liability and potential remedies.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
They’re probably thinking I won’t be able to relate to their grandson, that I might even be a liability for him in the new neighborhood, and I completely agree.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
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.
