liable
[ lahy-uh-buhl ]
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
1First 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
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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
1C15: 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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