liability

[ lahy-uh-bil-i-tee ]
See synonyms for: liabilityliabilities on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural li·a·bil·i·ties.
  1. liabilities,

    • Finance. moneys owed; debts or pecuniary obligations (opposed to assets).

    • Accounting. liabilities as detailed on a balance sheet, especially in relation to assets and capital.

  2. something disadvantageous: His lack of education is his biggest liability.

  1. Also li·a·ble·ness [lahy-uh-buhl-nis]. /ˈlaɪ ə bəl nɪs/. the state or quality of being liable: liability to disease.

Origin of liability

1
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.

Words Nearby liability

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use liability in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for liability

liability

/ (ˌlaɪəˈbɪlɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. the state of being liable

  2. a financial obligation

  1. a hindrance or disadvantage

  2. 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.