DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

liability

[ lahy-uh-bil-i-tee ]
/ ˌlaɪ əˈbɪl ɪ ti /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR liability ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural li·a·bil·i·ties.

liabilities,
  1. moneys owed; debts or pecuniary obligations (opposed to assets).
  2. Accounting. liabilities as detailed on a balance sheet, especially in relation to assets and capital.
something disadvantageous: His lack of education is his biggest liability.
Also li·a·ble·ness. the state or quality of being liable: liability to disease.

Words related to liability

duty, culpability, accountability, burden, obligation, debt, mortgage, loan, inconvenience, damage, responsibility, involvement, exposure, susceptibility, onus, amenability, indebtedness, blame, compulsion, subjection

Words nearby liability

li yüan, li-fraumeni cancer syndrome, li-sao, lia, liabilities, liability, liability engineering, liability insurance, liability limit, liable, liaise

Origin of liability

First recorded in 1785–95; li(able) + -ability

OTHER WORDS FROM liability

non·li·a·bil·i·ty, noun, plural non·li·a·bil·i·ties.pre·li·a·bil·i·ty, noun, plural pre·li·a·bil·i·ties.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for liability

British Dictionary definitions for liability

liability
/ (ˌlaɪəˈbɪlɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the state of being liable
a financial obligation
a hindrance or disadvantage
likelihood or probability
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 liability

liability

An obligation or debt.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.