obligate
Americanverb (used with object)
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obligates,
present (3rd person singular)
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obligated,
past participle, past
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obligating
present participle
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to bind or oblige morally or legally.
to obligate oneself to purchase a building.
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to pledge, commit, or bind (funds, property, etc.) to meet an obligation.
adjective
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morally or legally bound; obliged; constrained.
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Biology. restricted to a particular condition of life, as certain organisms that can survive only in the absence of oxygen (opposed to facultative).
obligate anaerobe.
verb
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to compel, constrain, or oblige morally or legally
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(in the US) to bind (property, funds, etc) as security
adjective
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compelled, bound, or restricted
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biology able to exist under only one set of environmental conditions Compare facultative
an obligate parasite cannot live independently of its host
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Capable of existing only in a particular environment or by assuming a particular role. An obligate aerobe, such as certain bacteria, can live only in the presence of oxygen. An obligate parasite cannot survive independently of its host.
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Compare facultative
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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obligatornoun
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preobligateverb (used with object)
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reobligateverb (used with object)
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obligableadjective
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obligativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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obligatesimple
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obligatessimple
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have obligatedperfect
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has obligatedperfect
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am obligatingprogressive
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are obligatingprogressive
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is obligatingprogressive
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have been obligatingperfect progressive
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has been obligatingperfect progressive
Past
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obligatedsimple
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had obligatedperfect
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was obligatingprogressive
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were obligatingprogressive
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had been obligatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of obligate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English obligat, from Latin obligātus (past participle of obligāre “to bind”), equivalent to ob- + ligātus; see ob-, ligate
Explanation
To obligate is to either force someone to do something or be compelled to do something. You’re obligated to get to work on time if you want to keep your job. Obligating has to do with responsibilities. When you have a job, you're obligated to show up and do your work. You could also say the job obligates you to do these things. Obligate, which is about obligations (duties), can be used another way – to commit as security. Money would be obligated, or put up as security. Obligate is not the same thing as oblige, which is like doing a favor. To obligate is meaner, it means “to force.”
Vocabulary lists containing obligate
Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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This Week In Words: July 11–17, 2020
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A Step from Heaven
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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.
See Examples For:
It’s more common than many people realize, and being named as executor does not obligate you to accept the role.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
“If additional funds are made available to State, we will work to obligate them consistent with legal requirements and Administration priorities.”
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
My sexuality doesn’t obligate me to embrace a particular ideology or to reject the moral inheritance of the society that made my life possible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
However it added that "preserving the side does not obligate the government to preserve all the buildings and structures... in their current state," and authorities had yet to assess the buildings.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2025
Now that he was already there, he pointed out the necessity of the meeting and the visit; this situation placed a demand upon him, but these matters didn’t obligate his son.
From Travel Tales in the Promised Land (Palestine) by Karl Friedrich May
The put sale offsets the expense of the call spread, though it obligates investors to buy the S&P 500 ETF at a lower price.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
The pledge obligates actors, directors and producers not to screen films, appear in or work with what it considers complicit institutions, including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
These courts stuck with the rulebook, which obligates them to follow precedent until it’s formally overturned.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2025
And while she said her oath ethically obligates her to defend these children, she doesn’t know how the office will survive in its current form if payments don’t come in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2025
It matters but little how a conjugal union is effected so long as sanctioned by law or custom and it obligates the parties, by common opinion, to observe the duties pertaining to married life.
From The Ladies Book of Useful Information Compiled from many sources by Anonymous
The organizing committee is obligated to create a $270-million contingency fund that can be distributed as a surplus if the Games make money or cover any losses in the event of a shortfall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
After making sure her funeral arrangements are carried out, can I decline or resign from serving as executor, or would I still be legally obligated to administer the estate?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
"Everyone needs to be involved with this. People should feel obligated to speak out regardless of who they are. Everyone knows someone affected by this. It's quite simple."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
On the opening of the strait, the MOU obligated Iran only to “make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial ships with no charge for 60 days only.”
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
But publicly, they reviled it and were obligated to prosecute all slavers.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
"Gomez purported to sign a contract obligating her to perform and then ignored it," the lawsuit claims.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
A “phase one” trade deal signed in early 2020 addressed neither of those points, instead obligating China to buy more soybeans from American farmers—something Beijing largely failed to fulfill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
If you recall the myth, you may be able to guess that he’s another loved one Dream condemns to suffering, obligating the supreme being to apologize yet again.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2025
“Accordingly, the Department will not be issuing Grant Award Notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2025
If that be true, we may well pause before obligating ourselves to make them our concern.
From Public Speaking by Clarence Stratton
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.
