Link Centre Dictionary

oblige

ob·lige

UK/əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/ US/əˈbliːd͡ʒ/ fairly common

verb

1.

force or compel somebody to do something

  • “We compel all students to fill out this form”
Synonyms
2.

bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted

  • “He”
  • “;”
  • “ll hold you by your promise”
Synonyms
3.

provide a service or favor for someone

  • “We had to oblige him”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

From Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, obliger, from Latin obligō, obligāre, from ob- + ligō. Doublet of obligate, taken straight from Latin.

Phrases

  • much obliged
  • noblesse oblige

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Causes

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.