oblige

See also: obligé

English

Etymology

From Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, obliger, from Latin obligo, obligare, from ob- + ligo. Doublet of obligate, taken straight from Latin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈblaɪdʒ/
• Rhymes: -aɪdʒ

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Verb

1. (transitive) To constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means.

   I am obliged to report to the police station every week.

   • 1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC:

     Tho' he was some time awake before me, yet did he not offer to disturb a repose he had given me so much occasion for; but on my first stirring, which was not till past ten o'clock, I was oblig'd to endure one more trial of his manhood.

2. (transitive) To do someone a service or favour (hence, originally, creating an obligation).

   He obliged me by not parking his car in the drive.

   • 1719, John Harris, Astronomical dialogues between a gentleman and a lady, page 151:

     In the mean time I have another trouble to give you, if you will oblige me in it; and that is to get me a sight of the famous Orrery, which I have heard you and others so often speak of; and which I think was made by Mr. Rowley, the famous Mathematical Instrument-Maker.

3. (intransitive) To be indebted to someone.

   I am obliged to you for your recent help.

4. (intransitive) To do a service or favour.

   The singer obliged with another song.

Usage notes

Aside from in American English and Scottish, "obliged" has largely replaced "obligate" by the 20th century, the latter being more common in the 17th through 19th centuries.

Derived terms

• disoblige

Related terms

• much obliged
• noblesse oblige
• obligate
• obligation
• obligatory
• obligee
• obligor

Translations

to constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means

• Catalan: obligar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 强迫 (zh) (qiǎngpò)

• Dutch: verplichten (nl)
• French: imposer (fr), obliger (fr)
• German: verpflichten (de)
• Greek: υποχρεώνω (el) (ypochreóno)
• Hungarian: kötelez (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 義務付ける (ja) (ぎむづける, gimuzukeru)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forplikte

  Nynorsk: forplikte

• Romanian: obliga (ro)
• Russian: обя́зывать (ru) impf (objázyvatʹ), обяза́ть (ru) pf (objazátʹ)
• Spanish: obligar (es)
• Walloon: oblidjî (wa)

to do someone a service or favour (hence, originally, creating an obligation)

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 幫忙／帮忙 (zh) (bāngmáng), 帮忙 (zh) (bāngmáng)

• Dutch: een plezier doen
• French: rendre service (fr) à, obliger (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: einen Gefallen tun
• Japanese: 世話をする (ja) (せわをする, sewa o suru), サービスする (ja) (sābisu suru)
• Russian: де́лать одолже́ние impf (délatʹ odolžénije), сде́лать одолже́ние pf (sdélatʹ odolžénije)

to be indebted to someone

• Greek: είμαι ευγνώμων (eímai evgnómon)
• Hungarian: lekötelez (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 恩義がある (おんぎがある, ongi ga aru), 世話になる (ja) (せわになる, sewa ni naru)
• Russian: быть обя́занным impf (bytʹ objázannym)

Anagrams

• big ole, biogel

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ.bliʒ/

Verb

oblige

1. first-person singular present indicative of obliger
2. third-person singular present indicative of obliger
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of obliger
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of obliger
5. second-person singular imperative of obliger