obligate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
obligates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
obligated,
past participle, past
-
obligating
present participle
-
to bind or oblige morally or legally.
to obligate oneself to purchase a building.
-
to pledge, commit, or bind (funds, property, etc.) to meet an obligation.
adjective
-
morally or legally bound; obliged; constrained.
-
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
-
to compel, constrain, or oblige morally or legally
-
(in the US) to bind (property, funds, etc) as security
adjective
-
compelled, bound, or restricted
-
biology able to exist under only one set of environmental conditions Compare facultative
an obligate parasite cannot live independently of its host
-
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.
-
Compare facultative
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
obligatornoun
-
preobligateverb (used with object)
-
reobligateverb (used with object)
-
obligableadjective
-
obligativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
obligatesimple
-
obligatessimple
-
have obligatedperfect
-
has obligatedperfect
-
am obligatingprogressive
-
are obligatingprogressive
-
is obligatingprogressive
-
have been obligatingperfect progressive
-
has been obligatingperfect progressive
Past
-
obligatedsimple
-
had obligatedperfect
-
was obligatingprogressive
-
were obligatingprogressive
-
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)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week In Words: July 11–17, 2020
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
A Step from Heaven
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
The SEC’s order dismissed those remarks as “casual comments” that don’t obligate the commission to recognize a person as a whistleblower.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
The risk: Intel builds upon its extraordinary gains and keeps rising, which would obligate investors to sell the stock, or to manage the short call to avoid assignment.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 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
To the above duties, in general and in particular, we obligate and pledge ourselves by our signature with our own hand.
From The Organization of the Congregation in the Early Lutheran Churches in America by Beale M. Schmucker
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 Fair Housing Amendments Act obligates the landlord to offer “reasonable accommodations” to tenants with disabilities, emotional and otherwise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
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
Each party obligates itself, within three months after the signing of the peace treaty, to inform the other which of the treaties and agreements will not again become effective.
Reuters noted that the big projection would “anchor the growth story behind its planned IPO,” a story the rest of us aren’t obligated to tell.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
The trades obligated Enviva to buy more than $650 million of wood pellets at record-high prices, which led to the company’s bankruptcy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 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
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
At the hearing, I pointed out that Justice was an adult, and was not obligated to return to Mqhekezweni merely because his father ordered it.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
"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
I mean that what seems an obligation to self is in reality a dimly apprehended duty—an obligation to the unknown God, and not to self, in which lies no causing, therefore no obligating power.'
From Wilfrid Cumbermede by George MacDonald
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.
