duty

[ doo-tee, dyoo- ]

/ ˈdu ti, ˈdyu- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR duty ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural du·ties.

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

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

an action or task required by a person's position or occupation; function: the duties of a clergyman.

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

an act or expression of respect.

a task or chore that a person is expected to perform: It's your duty to do the dishes.

Military.

an assigned task, occupation, or place of service: He was on radar duty for two years.
the military service required of a citizen by a country: After graduation, he began his duty.

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

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

Chiefly British. tax: income duty.

Machinery.

the amount of work done by an engine per unit amount of fuel consumed.
the measure of effectiveness of any machine.

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

Baby Talk. bowel movement.

Idioms for duty

do duty, to serve the same function; substitute for: bookcases that do duty as room dividers.

off duty, not at one's post or work; at liberty: They spent their days off duty in hiking and fishing.

on duty, at one's post or work; occupied; engaged: He was suspended from the force for being drunk while on duty.

Origin of duty

1250–1300; Middle English du(e)te < Anglo-French duete. See due, -ty²

SYNONYMS FOR duty

3 responsibility, business.

4 deference.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR duty ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for duty

1. 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.

Words nearby duty

dutchwoman, duteous, dutiable, dutiful, dutton, duty, duty bound, duty officer, duty to retreat, duty-bound, duty-free

Example sentences from the Web for duties

The NYPD and his duties required him to miss the graduation on December 20.

In The Shadow of Murdered Cops |Michael Daly |December 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The pair had argued, and the assistant ceased performing this most onerous of duties.

A Million Ways to Die in Prison |Daniel Genis |December 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Instead, he sees his ethical obligations as a matter of duties to those with whom we have relationships.

The Bioethicist Turned Butcher |Elizabeth Picciuto |September 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
By most accounts, the Times newsroom has calmed since Baquet resumed his duties full time a few weeks after going under the knife.

Dean Baquet, the NYT’s Executive Editor, on Jill Abramson, Race, Surviving Cancer—and TMZ Envy |Lloyd Grove |September 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Stephanopoulos will add the duties of Chief Anchor of ABC News to his responsibilities.

George Stephanopoulos Wins ABC’s Chief Anchor Crown—Where Does His Promotion Leave David Muir? |Lloyd Grove |June 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
All this will give an idea of the variety of duties of a tea-planter.

Ranching, Sport and Travel |Thomas Carson
I am satisfied now that my duties do not lie here, though the dear creatures here will be a constant motive for work and economy.

George Eliot's Life, Vol. I (of 3) |George Eliot
Nevertheless he is called to be a "leader," with the responsibilities and duties of a leader.

Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews |Handley C.G. Moule
Highly to her credit, Mrs. Thrale did not omit any part of her own duties to her husband because he forgot his.

Autobiography, Letters and Literary Remains of Mrs. Piozzi (Thrale) (2nd ed.) (2 vols.) |Mrs. Hester Lynch Piozzi
I fancy they discharge their duties in voting rather faithfully, though they do not often take part in caucuses or conventions.

Literature and Life |William Dean Howells

British Dictionary definitions for duties

duty

/ (ˈdjuːtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

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

respect or obedience due to a superior, older persons, etc filial duty

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

a government tax, esp on imports

British

the quantity or intensity of work for which a machine is designed
a measure of the efficiency of a machine

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

a job or service allocated
(as modifier)duty rota

do duty for to act as a substitute for

off duty not at work

on duty at work

Word Origin for duty

C13: from Anglo-French dueté, from Old French deu due

Cultural definitions for duties

duty

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

Idioms and Phrases with duties

duty

In addition to the idiom beginning with duty

duty bound

also see:

above and beyond (the call of duty)
active duty

do one's dutydouble dutyoff dutyon duty.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

duty

noun, plural du·ties.

Idioms for duty

Origin of duty

SYNONYMS FOR duty

synonym study for duty

Words nearby duty

Example sentences from the Web for duties

British Dictionary definitions for duties

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for duty

Cultural definitions for duties

Idioms and Phrases with duties

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

duty

noun, plural du·ties.

Idioms for duty

Origin of duty

SYNONYMS FOR duty

synonym study for duty

Words nearby duty

Words related to duties

Example sentences from the Web for duties

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for duties

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for duty

Cultural definitions for duties

Idioms and Phrases with duties

British Dictionary definitions for duties