oblige
verb
\ ə-ˈblīj
\
\
obliged;
obliging
Definition of oblige
1
: to constrain by physical, moral, or legal force or by the exigencies of circumstance
obliged to find a job felt obliged to share it with her
2a
: to put in one's debt by a favor or service
We are much obliged for your help.
b
: to do a favor for
always ready to oblige a friend
: to do something as or as if as a favor
When he was asked for advice, he obliged.
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Examples of oblige in a Sentence
The law obliges the government to release certain documents to the public.
Her job obliges her to work overtime and on weekends.
She's always ready to oblige her friends.
“Thank you for your help.” “I'm happy to oblige.”
They asked for food and he obliged with soup and sandwiches.
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Recent Examples on the Web
The couple of occasions there was a loose pass asking to be intercepted, Guendouzi obliged. — SI.com, "Matteo Guendouzi: Midfielder Delivers Performance Worthy of His Terrific Haircut in NLD," 2 Sep. 2019 But its strength obliged mainstream politicians to campaign against it, and its success will force them to assemble unwieldy coalitions to keep it from power. — Dresden, The Economist, "Germany’s governing parties keep the far right at bay—just," 1 Sep. 2019 Chamberlain pops out of her seat and enthusiastically obliges. — Rebecca Nelson, Marie Claire, "The Emma Chamberlain Effect," 26 Aug. 2019 If Kaepernick and the NFL are done with each other, is everyone who felt sympathy for Kaepernick obliged to participate in a forever boycott of the league? — Kyle Smith, National Review, "How Jay-Z Got Canceled," 19 Aug. 2019 The couple, who had taken turns nursing rocks and bits of food between their feet and trying to hatch them, were more than willing to oblige. — Scottie Andrew, CNN, "A gay penguin couple adopted an egg in a Berlin zoo," 13 Aug. 2019 Will Clark didn’t want to publicize a story about himself and Kevin Mitchell, feeling obliged to protect his beloved manager, Roger Craig. — John Shea, SFChronicle.com, "Giants’ 1989 flashback: Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell a dynamic 1-2 punch," 9 Aug. 2019 Cheaper clean energy technology is a global public good, and advanced economies are both morally obliged and economically well-positioned to provide it. — David Roberts, Vox, "The climate change policy with the most potential is the most neglected," 11 July 2019 Zhang, who had only been in the U.S. for two months and was not fluent in English, obliged. — Fox News, "Ex-University of Illinois doctoral student killed visiting Chinese scholar, defense admits," 13 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oblige.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for oblige
oblige
verb
English Language Learners Definition of oblige
: to force or require (someone or something) to do something because of a law or rule or because it is necessary
: to do something that someone has asked you to do : to do a favor for (someone)
See the full definition for oblige in the English Language Learners Dictionary
oblige
verb
\ ə-ˈblīj
\
\
obliged;
obliging
Kids Definition of oblige
1
: force entry 2 sense 1, compel
The soldiers were obliged to retreat.
2
: to do a favor for or do something as a favor
“… I don't mind doing what I can—just to oblige you …”— Hugh Lofting, Dr. Dolittle
3
: to earn the gratitude of
You will oblige me by coming early.
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