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:
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
Brennan & Rogers, a Maine-based law firm, says those laws obligate adult children to provide necessities such as food, clothing, housing and medical care for their parents who can’t afford to take care of themselves.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
"Fascinatingly, we found that the obligately agamospermous Balanophora species were all island species -- and we speculate that more Balanophora species may be facultative, or even obligate, agamosperms."
From Science Daily ● Dec. 20, 2025
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
They took the paper he wrote them, containing his conditions; but did not obligate themselves to comply with the conditions, as they did not think his claim just or reasonable.
From Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of Oregon by Frederick Van Voorhies Holman
The “covered call” strategy lowers the stock purchase price by the received call premium and obligates investors to sell stock higher.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 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 further obligates us to aid each other to the utmost of our ability in recovering stolen property, in case any of us should meet with such a misfortune."
From Eveline Mandeville The Horse Thief Rival by Alvin Addison
Of course, if you had the money, you may choose to pay those premiums from a joint account or manage them under a power of attorney, but that does not make you legally obligated.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Local government agencies are not obligated to post public records online, with a few exceptions, according to David Loy, legal director at the nonprofit First Amendment Coalition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
“We’re not legally obligated to,” Justice Department lawyer Michael Robertson told the judge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
She says it was on her to prove that her son had died from overwork, and Coupang was obligated to provide records, including security camera footage, to Comwel, but not her.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
"There's a bruise on my side where it hit me and knocked me from the sky. And now I am obligated to carry it about with me."
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
"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
It went on to say that state law gives top priority to lawsuits against a city’s general plan, obligating the court to hold a hearing within 120 days if requested.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
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.
