liable

[ lahy-uh-buhl ]

See synonyms for liable on Thesaurus.com

adjective

legally responsible: You are liable for the damage caused by your action.
subject or susceptible: to be liable to heart disease.

likely or apt: He's liable to get angry.

Origin of liable

First recorded in 1535–45; from Anglo-French “to bind,” from Latin ligāre ) + -able

usage note For liable

Liable is often interchangeable with likely in constructions with a following infinitive where the sense is that of probability: The Sox are liable (or likely ) to sweep the Series. Some usage guides, however, say that liable can be used only in contexts in which the outcome is undesirable: The picnic is liable to be spoiled by rain. This use occurs often in formal writing but not to the exclusion of use in contexts in which the outcome is desirable: The drop in unemployment is liable to stimulate the economy. Apt may also be used in place of liable or likely in all the foregoing examples. See also apt, likely.

Other words for liable

1	obliged, answerable, accountable

See synonyms for liable on Thesaurus.com

Other words from liable

non·li·a·ble, adjective
pre·li·a·ble, adjective
un·li·a·ble, adjective

Words that may be confused with liable

liable , libel

Words Nearby liable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use liable in a sentence

Then, in July, Faber issued a second ruling that found Bluestone liable for the selenium violations.
This Billionaire Governor’s Coal Company Might Get a Big Break From His Own Regulators | by Ken Ward Jr. | September 17, 2020 | ProPublica
They don’t want to be liable if someone has an adverse reaction.
‘An educational stance’: Publishers mull CBD’s alluring – and complex – commerce opportunities | Max Willens | September 17, 2020 | Digiday
It meant that a parent corporation like McDonald’s, one of the companies embroiled in litigation over the rule, could be held liable for a franchise owner’s wrongdoing, such as retaliating against workers for trying to unionize.
“Cover Up”: House Democrats Subpoena Documents That NLRB Refused to Share in Ethics Investigation | by Ian MacDougall | September 15, 2020 | ProPublica
If the employee did so, the agency would have terminated a full-time contract with the employee and worked on a contract basis instead leaving the employee liable for paying for their own healthcare and other benefits can .
‘Necessary to attract talent’: How agencies are managing employees’ requests to move to different states | Kristina Monllos | August 26, 2020 | Digiday
Yesterday a California appeals court ruled Amazon is liable for products sold by third parties on its site.
Amazon’s days of dodging liability for its marketplace could be numbered | Marc Bain | August 14, 2020 | Quartz

Clients who are wary of online transactions are liable to see escorts with print ads as less likely to cheat or scam them.
The Importance of Adult Classifieds | Hazlitt | September 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And while eBay makes a direct profit from sales, it is generally not liable unless it had knowledge of a suspicious seller.
Why eBay Is an Art Forger’s Paradise | Lizzie Crocker | August 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In fact, the suit tries to somehow find MLB liable for a still picture of Rector posted on a website called NotSportcenter.
Sleeping Yankees Fan Files Worst Lawsuit Ever | Ben Jacobs | July 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
When he says that,” Lefty Wilson, the trainer, said, “he's liable to get three goals.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse | W.C. Heinz | May 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This was the first time an oil refinery had been held criminally liable under the Act.
Pollution Is a Violent Crime—Prosecute It as Such | Jedediah Purdy | May 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Births, marriages, and deaths were also made liable to duties by the same Act.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Another way of rendering a principal liable for the act of his agent is by ratifying it.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles
His principal surely would not be liable, though the conductor doubtless would be.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles
A principal is liable for the statements and representations of his agent that have been expressly authorized.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles
Distilled water may be used for dilution, but is more liable to cause error.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for liable

liable

/ (ˈlaɪəbəl) /

adjective(postpositive)

legally obliged or responsible; answerable
susceptible or exposed; subject

probable, likely, or capable: it's liable to happen soon

Origin of liable

C15: perhaps via Anglo-French, from Old French lier to bind, from Latin ligāre

usage For liable

The use of liable to to mean likely to was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable

Derived forms of liable

liableness, noun

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

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