51Թ

Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

duty

[doo-tee, dyoo-]

noun

plural

duties 
  1. something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.

  2. the binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right; moral or legal obligation.

  3. an action or task required by a person's position or occupation; function.

    the duties of a clergyman.

    Synonyms: , ,
  4. the respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, superior, elder, etc.

    Synonyms: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
  5. an act or expression of respect.

  6. a task or chore that a person is expected to perform.

    It's your duty to do the dishes.

  7. Military.

    1. an assigned task, occupation, or place of service.

      He was on radar duty for two years.

    2. the military service required of a citizen by a country.

      After graduation, he began his duty.

  8. Commerce.a specific or ad valorem tax imposed by law on the import or export of goods.

  9. a payment, service, etc., imposed and enforceable by law or custom.

  10. Chiefly British.tax.

    income duty.

  11. Machinery.

    1. the amount of work done by an engine per unit amount of fuel consumed.

    2. the measure of effectiveness of any machine.

  12. Agriculture.the amount of water necessary to provide for the crop in a given area.

  13. Baby Talk.bowel movement.



duty

/ ˈːɪ /

noun

  1. a task or action that a person is bound to perform for moral or legal reasons

  2. respect or obedience due to a superior, older persons, etc

    filial duty

  3. the force that binds one morally or legally to one's obligations

  4. a government tax, esp on imports

    1. the quantity or intensity of work for which a machine is designed

    2. a measure of the efficiency of a machine

  5. the quantity of water necessary to irrigate an area of land to grow a particular crop

    1. a job or service allocated

    2. ( as modifier )

      duty rota

  6. to act as a substitute for

  7. not at work

  8. at work

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

duty

  1. A tax charged by a government, especially on an import.

Discover More

51Թ History and Origins

Origin of duty1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English du(e)te, from Anglo-French duete; due, -ty 2
Discover More

51Թ History and Origins

Origin of duty1

C13: from Anglo-French ܱé, from Old French deu due
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. on duty, at one's post or work; occupied; engaged.

    He was suspended from the force for being drunk while on duty.

  2. do duty, to serve the same function; substitute for.

    bookcases that do duty as room dividers.

  3. off duty, not at one's post or work; at liberty.

    They spent their days off duty in hiking and fishing.

In addition to the idiom beginning with duty, also see above and beyond (the call of duty); active duty do one's duty; double duty; off duty; on duty.
Discover More

Synonym Study

Duty, obligation refer to what one feels bound to do. Duty is what one performs, or avoids doing, in fulfillment of the permanent dictates of conscience, piety, right, or law: duty to one's country; one's duty to tell the truth, to raise children properly. An obligation is what one is bound to do to fulfill the dictates of usage, custom, or propriety, and to carry out a particular, specific, and often personal promise or agreement: financial obligations.
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He had me in mind to play a doctor in a rural town torn between her duty to help her patient and the imperative to obey restrictive new laws.

From

In January Johnny Herbert was dropped by the FIA, which said his "duties as an FIA steward and that of a media pundit were incompatible".

From

He added Dighton had wanted to make a statement that the government had failed in its duties to uphold law and order and his attack had involved "significant planning" with the intent of "serious violence".

From

Lady Hood found that neither of the governments had failed to exercise their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and neither was under a duty to consult.

From

Real Madrid has already played 62 games in the last 43 weeks, for example — and that doesn’t include international duty for players such as Kylian Mbappe, who played 13 times for France since last June.

From

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Duttonduty-bound