on duty

1. At one's post, at work, as in The new nurse was on duty that evening, or The watchman was fired because he was drunk on duty. [Mid-1600s] The antonym, off duty, means “not engaged in one's work,” as in Captain Smith was much more amiable when he was off duty. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

The battalion chief listed as being on duty the day firefighters were ordered to leave the Lachman fire, Mario Garcia, did not respond to requests for comment.

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“Commanding the fire crew on duty to leave something where they raised objections? To me, that’s not responsible,” he said.

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On Wednesday, Katarina Pohancenikova, managing director of Greener Ealing Ltd, confirmed that Mr Broadhurst was a binman at the council-owned firm but he was not on duty when he died.

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It quickly emerged that the driver of the Camry was a San Bernardino County narcotics deputy who was off duty when the pursuit started, put himself back on duty and deliberately swerved into the motorcyclist, later identified as 47-year-old Angelo Jose Saldivar.

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It’s unclear how the deputy got involved in the pursuit or when he notified the department he was back on duty.

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