Search this site:

Definition of oblige


Reference


Word of the Day
competent
Definition: (adjective) having the skill and knowledge needed for a particular task; capable
Petersons.com
Add Word of the Day to your personalized My Yahoo! page:
Add to My Yahoo! View RSS Feed
About My Yahoo! and RSS »

 

o·blige  audio  (-blj) KEY  

VERB:
o·bliged , o·blig·ing , o·blig·es
VERB:
tr.
  1. To constrain by physical, legal, social, or moral means.
  2. To make indebted or grateful: I am obliged to you for your gracious hospitality.
  3. To do a service or favor for: They obliged us by arriving early.
VERB:
intr.
To do a service or favor: The soloist obliged with yet another encore.

ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, from Latin obligre : ob-, to ; see ob- + ligre, to bind; see leig- in Indo-European roots

OTHER FORMS:
o·bliger (Noun)

SYNONYMS:
oblige , accommodate , favor

These verbs mean to perform a service or a courteous act for: obliged me by keeping the matter quiet; accommodating her by lending her money; favor an audience with an encore. See also Synonyms at force.
Antonym: disoblige


Visit our partner's site
Provided by Houghton Mifflin
logoeReference -- Download this interactive reference software to your desktop computer


Search Dictionary:

 More on Yahoo! Education
 • Online and On-Campus Degree Programs
    MBAs  -  Technology Management  -  Education  -  Health  -  More

 • College & Grad School - A Comprehensive Guide
    College Search  -  Test Prep  -  Application Tips  -  Scholarship Search
 

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Other Important Information
-