oblige
Americanverb (used with object)
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to require or constrain, as by law, command, conscience, or force of necessity.
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to bind morally or legally, as by a promise or contract.
- Synonyms:
- obligate
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to place under a debt of gratitude for some benefit, favor, or service.
I'm much obliged for the ride.
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to put (one) in a debt of gratitude, as by a favor or accommodation.
Mr. Weems will oblige us with a song.
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to make (an action, policy, etc.) necessary or obligatory.
Your carelessness obliges firmness on my part.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr; often passive) to bind or constrain (someone to do something) by legal, moral, or physical means
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(tr; usually passive) to make indebted or grateful (to someone) by doing a favour or service
we are obliged to you for dinner
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to do a service or favour to (someone)
she obliged the guest with a song
Usage
What does oblige mean? Oblige commonly means to politely do something for someone, as in He’s the kind of person who’s happy to oblige no matter what the request is. Someone who is accommodating in this way can be described as obliging. This sense of the word is sometimes used in a somewhat ironic way that likens a negative reaction to a polite one, as in He rudely told me to step aside and let him pass, and I was happy to oblige since I was standing in front of a huge mud puddle. Oblige also commonly means to require, compel, or constrain. This can imply a moral sense of duty or one based on conscience, as in It is her sense of duty that obliges her to make this sacrifice. Or it can imply an official or legal requirement, as in The contract obliges us to perform three nights a week. This sense of oblige is perhaps most often used in passive constructions, as in By contract, we are obliged to perform three nights a week. The similar verb obligate can be used to mean the same thing. The related noun obligation refers to a responsibility or duty that is required of someone. In other words, an obligation is something you are obliged or obligated to do. Something that’s required in such a way can be described with the related adjective obligatory. Sometimes, oblige means to put one in a debt of gratitude, such as for some favor or service. This sense of the word is especially used in the phrase much obliged, which can be used by itself as another way of saying thank you or in a sentence, as in We’re much obliged for all your hospitality. Example: There is no requirement that obliges us to help those who are less fortunate—but we should do it out of a moral obligation.
Synonym Usage
Oblige, accommodate imply making a gracious and welcome gesture of some kind. Oblige emphasizes the idea of conferring a favor or benefit (and often of taking some trouble to do it): to oblige someone with a loan. Accommodate emphasizes doing a service or furnishing a convenience: to accommodate someone with lodgings and meals.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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obligesimple
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obligessimple
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have obligedperfect
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has obligedperfect
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am obligingprogressive
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are obligingprogressive
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is obligingprogressive
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have been obligingperfect progressive
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has been obligingperfect progressive
Past
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obligedsimple
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had obligedperfect
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was obligingprogressive
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were obligingprogressive
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had been obligingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of oblige
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, from Latin obligāre “to bind”; see obligate
Explanation
To oblige is to do something you have to, because you're bound by either good manners or the law. You are obliged to pay back your student loans, or for your portion of the dinner bill. You may also feel obliged to bring a gift if you're invited to a wedding. You can also tip your cowboy hat and be "much obliged" if someone does you a favor. The French phrase, noblesse oblige means basically that "privilege entails responsibility," or that the wealthy are obliged to do something productive in the world and not just sit around polishing their silver spoons.
Vocabulary lists containing oblige
List 2
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
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Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)
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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 was something of an obsession, a harmless one, and we were happy to oblige.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
“Listing agents are also culprits in this pattern, as they want to work with the celebrity and oblige their unrealistic expectations,” he explains.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
"Content farms and internet trolls are happy to oblige them."
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
Members of the general public ask for them, including for their children, and doctors happily oblige, says Mir.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
“These sweats were so offensive,” he wrote, “as to oblige me to draw the bed-clothes close to my neck, to defend myself from their smell.”
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
After competitions, Gu is the one every media outlet wants to speak to, and she gracefully and politely obliges as she slowly shuffles through the mixed zone.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
The DSA obliges entities labeled as VLOPs to do more to protect users from illegal and harmful content.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
The law also obliges the mayor -- or any other applicants -- to compile various financial documents and carry out reforms within six months or face a two-year prison sentence.
From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025
Perfidia tells Bob to create a show and he obliges with a spectacle of fireworks and munitions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025
Each time he obliges them and kisses his bride tamely on the cheek.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
These principles obliged Bundists to cling, defiantly and then desperately, to limited peoplehood as a minority among hostile neighbors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
That’s when England needed someone to bail them out—and Bellingham duly obliged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Samsung Electronics was obliged to offer employees windfall payments to prevent industrial action.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
True, she was obliged to wear an electronic ankle tag for a year as part of the appeal court sentence.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
So long as the underlying bonds remained outstanding, both buyer and seller of credit default swaps were obliged to post collateral, in response to their price movements.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
China and North Korea have a military alliance centred on a 1961 treaty obliging each side to come to the other's aid in the event of an armed attack.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
“Promoters are keen to expand and capture new market share, often reflected in artist contracts obliging the latter to tour in certain geographies, Europe being one of them,” the Bernstein analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
When the U.S. abandoned its bases in Greenland, it left the cleanup to Denmark despite the treaty obliging Washington to do it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
It turns out clafoutis is a natural shape-shifter — easy to make, nearly impossible to ruin and endlessly obliging.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2025
He had planned to continue the march throughout most of the night; but Gurgi’s condition had worsened, obliging Taran to call a halt.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
