duty
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du·ty
(do͞o′tē, dyo͞o′-)n. pl. du·ties
Idioms: 1.
a. An act or a course of action that is required of one by position, social custom, law, or religion: the duties of being a critical care nurse.
b. Required action or service: jury duty; beyond the call of duty. See Synonyms at function.
c. Active military service: a tour of duty.
2.
a. Moral or legal obligation: It is your duty to tell the truth.
b. The compulsion felt to meet such obligation: acting out of duty.
3. A tax charged by a government, especially on imports.
4.
a. The application of something for a purpose; use: The dining room table also does duty as a desk.
b. A measure of efficiency expressed as the amount of work done per unit of energy used.
5. The total volume of water required to irrigate a given area in order to cultivate a specific crop until harvest.
duty bound
Obliged: You are duty bound to help your little sister and brother.
off duty
Not engaged in or responsible for assigned work.
on duty
Engaged in or responsible for assigned work.
[Middle English duete, from Anglo-Norman, from due, variant of Old French deu, due; see due.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
duty
(ˈdjuːtɪ)n, pl -ties
1. a task or action that a person is bound to perform for moral or legal reasons
2. respect or obedience due to a superior, older persons, etc: filial duty.
3. the force that binds one morally or legally to one's obligations
4. (Commerce) a government tax, esp on imports
5. (Mechanical Engineering)
a. the quantity or intensity of work for which a machine is designed
b. a measure of the efficiency of a machine
6. (Agriculture) the quantity of water necessary to irrigate an area of land to grow a particular crop
7. (Military)
a. a job or service allocated
b. (as modifier): duty rota.
8. (Military) do duty for to act as a substitute for
9. off duty not at work
10. on duty at work
[C13: from Anglo-French dueté, from Old French deu due]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
du•ty
(ˈdu ti, ˈdyu-)n., pl. -ties.
1. something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.
2. the binding force of something that is morally or legally right; moral or legal obligation.
3. an action or task required by a person's position or occupation: the duties of a clergyman.
4. the respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, elder, or superior.
5. an act or expression of respect.
6. a task or chore that one is expected to perform.
7.
a. an assigned military task, occupation, or place of service: on radar duty.
b. the military service required of a citizen by a country.
8. a specific or ad valorem tax imposed by law on the import or export of goods.
9. a payment, service, etc., imposed and enforceable by law or custom.
10.
Idioms: a. the amount of work done by an engine per unit amount of fuel consumed.
b. the measure of effectiveness of any machine.
1. do duty as, to serve the same function as; substitute for.
2. off duty, not at one's post or work; at liberty.
3. on duty, at one's post or work.
syn: duty, obligation refer to something a person feels bound to do. A duty often applies to what a person performs in fulfillment of the permanent dictates of conscience, piety, right, or law: one's duty to tell the truth; a parent's duty to raise children properly. An obligation is what is expected at a particular time in fulfillment of a specific and often personal promise, contract, or agreement: social or financial obligations.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
obligation
– duty1. 'obligation' and 'duty'
If you say that someone has an obligation to do something or a duty to do something, you mean that they ought to do it, because it is their responsibility. When obligation and duty are used like this, they have the same meaning.
When teachers assign homework, students usually feel an obligation to do it.
Perhaps it was his duty to tell the police what he had seen.
2. 'duties'
Your duties are the things that you do as part of your job.
She has been given a reasonable time to learn her duties.
They also have to carry out many administrative duties.
Be Careful!
Don't refer to the things that you do as part of your job as 'obligations'.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  duty - the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force; "we must instill a sense of duty in our children"; "every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty"- John D.Rockefeller Jrjob - the responsibility to do something; "it is their job to print the truth" safekeeping, guardianship, keeping - the responsibility of a guardian or keeper; "he left his car in my keeping" social control - control exerted (actively or passively) by group action moral obligation - an obligation arising out of considerations of right and wrong; "he did it out of a feeling of moral obligation" noblesse oblige - the obligation of those of high rank to be honorable and generous (often used ironically) burden of proof - the duty of proving a disputed charge civic duty, civic responsibility - the responsibilities of a citizen filial duty - duty of a child to its parents imperative - some duty that is essential and urgent incumbency - a duty that is incumbent upon you legal duty - acts which the law requires be done or forborne line of duty - all that is normally required in some area of responsibility white man's burden - the supposed responsibility of the white race to provide care for their non-white subjects prerequisite, requirement - something that is required in advance; "Latin was a prerequisite for admission" requirement, demand - required activity; "the requirements of his work affected his health"; "there were many demands on his time" |
| 2. |  duty - work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons; "the duties of the job"work - activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work" chore, job, task - a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee; "estimates of the city's loss on that job ranged as high as a million dollars"; "the job of repairing the engine took several hours"; "the endless task of classifying the samples"; "the farmer's morning chores" role, function, office, part - the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group; "the function of a teacher"; "the government must do its part"; "play its role" assignment, duty assignment - a duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces); "hazardous duty" | |
| 3. |  duty - a government tax on imports or exports; "they signed a treaty to lower duties on trade between their countries"indirect tax - a tax levied on goods or services rather than on persons or organizations tonnage, tonnage duty, tunnage - a tax imposed on ships that enter the US; based on the tonnage of the ship octroi - a tax on various goods brought into a town revenue tariff - a tariff imposed to raise revenue protective tariff - a tariff imposed to protect domestic firms from import competition import duty - a duty imposed on imports export duty - a duty imposed on exports countervailing duty - a duty imposed to offset subsidies by foreign governments |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
duty
noun
be the duty of or be someone's duty be up to (informal), rest with, behove (archaic), be (someone's) pigeon (Brit. informal), be incumbent upon, devolve upon It is the duty of the state to maintain the educational system.
off duty off work, off, free, on holiday, not working, on leave, at leisure I'm off duty.
on duty at work, working, busy, engaged, on call, on active service Extra staff had been put on duty.
Quotations
"Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires but according to our powers" [Henri Frédéric Amiel Journal]
"Without duty, life is soft and boneless; it cannot hold itself together" [Joseph Joubert Pensées]
"When a stupid man is doing something that he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty" [George Bernard Shaw Caesar and Cleopatra]
"Do your duty, and leave the outcome to the Gods" [Pierre Corneille Horace]
"England expects that every man will do his duty" [Horatio Nelson speech at the Battle of Trafalgar]
"Duty, honour! We make these words say whatever we want, the same as we do with parrots" [Alfred Capus Mariage Bourgeois]
"Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires but according to our powers" [Henri Frédéric Amiel Journal]
"Without duty, life is soft and boneless; it cannot hold itself together" [Joseph Joubert Pensées]
"When a stupid man is doing something that he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty" [George Bernard Shaw Caesar and Cleopatra]
"Do your duty, and leave the outcome to the Gods" [Pierre Corneille Horace]
"England expects that every man will do his duty" [Horatio Nelson speech at the Battle of Trafalgar]
"Duty, honour! We make these words say whatever we want, the same as we do with parrots" [Alfred Capus Mariage Bourgeois]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
duty
noun1. An act or course of action that is demanded of one, as by position, custom, law, or religion:
3. The condition of being put to use:
4. A compulsory contribution, usually of money, that is required for the support of a government:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
رَسْم، ضَريبَهمُهِمَّه، فَرْضواجبوَاجِبواجِب
obligacióserveitaxa
povinnostcloslužbaúkol
pligttoldafgifthvervopgave
devo
تکلیف
velvollisuustullimaksutyövuoro
dužnostslužba
kötelesség
gjald, tollurskyldaskylduverk
任務
임무
apmuitinamasbe muitoneapmuitinamasneturintis būti tarnyboje
nodevanodoklispienākums
കടമജോലിസമയംതീരുവ
carinadolžnostobveznostv službi
plikttjänsttulltullavgift
zamu
หน้าที่
nghĩa vụ
duty
[ˈdjuːtɪ]A. N
1. (moral, legal) → deber m, obligación f
it is my duty to inform you that → es mi deber or obligación informarles de que ...
I feel it to be my duty → creo que es mi deber
it was his duty to tell the police → su deber era decírselo a la policía
I am duty bound to say that → es mi deber decir que ...
to do one's duty (by sb) → cumplir con su deber (hacia algn, para con algn)
to fail in one's duty → faltar a su deber
to make it one's duty to do sth → encargarse de hacer algo
it is no part of my duty to do this → no me corresponde a mí hacer esto
out of a sense of duty → por sentido del deber
it is my duty to inform you that → es mi deber or obligación informarles de que ...
I feel it to be my duty → creo que es mi deber
it was his duty to tell the police → su deber era decírselo a la policía
I am duty bound to say that → es mi deber decir que ...
to do one's duty (by sb) → cumplir con su deber (hacia algn, para con algn)
to fail in one's duty → faltar a su deber
to make it one's duty to do sth → encargarse de hacer algo
it is no part of my duty to do this → no me corresponde a mí hacer esto
out of a sense of duty → por sentido del deber
2. (= task, responsibility) → función f, responsabilidad f
my duties consist of → mis funciones or responsabilidades son ...
to do duty as → servir de
to do duty for → servir en lugar de
to neglect one's duties → faltar a sus responsabilidades
to be off duty (gen) → estar libre
an off duty policeman → un policía fuera de servicio
to be on duty (Med) [doctor, nurse, sentry] → estar de guardia; [policeman] → estar de servicio (Admin, Scol) → estar de turno
to go on duty → entrar de servicio
to take up one's duties → entrar en funciones
my duties consist of → mis funciones or responsabilidades son ...
to do duty as → servir de
to do duty for → servir en lugar de
to neglect one's duties → faltar a sus responsabilidades
to be off duty (gen) → estar libre
an off duty policeman → un policía fuera de servicio
to be on duty (Med) [doctor, nurse, sentry] → estar de guardia; [policeman] → estar de servicio (Admin, Scol) → estar de turno
to go on duty → entrar de servicio
to take up one's duties → entrar en funciones
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
duty
[ˈdjuːti] n
(= responsibility) [person] → devoir m
My duty is to look after the animals → Mon devoir est de veiller sur les animaux.
to be sb's duty → être le devoir de qn
it is my duty to do sth → il est de mon devoir de faire qch
It was his duty to tell the police → C'était son devoir de prévenir la police.
to make it one's duty to do sth → se faire un devoir de faire qch
My duty is to look after the animals → Mon devoir est de veiller sur les animaux.
to be sb's duty → être le devoir de qn
it is my duty to do sth → il est de mon devoir de faire qch
It was his duty to tell the police → C'était son devoir de prévenir la police.
to make it one's duty to do sth → se faire un devoir de faire qch
(= work) to report for duty → prendre son service
to be on duty [policeman, nurse] (= be working) → être de service, être de garde (= be on night shift) → être de garde
to be off duty → libre, ne pas être de service, ne pas être de garde
to put sb on duty → nommer qn de garde
to be on duty [policeman, nurse] (= be working) → être de service, être de garde (= be on night shift) → être de garde
to be off duty → libre, ne pas être de service, ne pas être de garde
to put sb on duty → nommer qn de garde
npl (= job) → fonctions fplduty chemist n → pharmacie f de gardeduty-free [ˌdjuːtiˈfriː] adj → hors taxes, exempté(e) de douaneduty-free allowance n quantité autorisée de produits hors taxesduty-frees [ˌdjuːtiˈfriːz] npl (British) → marchandises fpl hors taxesduty-free shop n → boutique f de marchandises hors taxesduty-free shopping n → achat m de marchandises hors taxesduty officer n (POLICE) → officier m de permanence
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
duty
n
→ Pflicht f; to do one’s duty → seine Pflicht tun; to do one’s duty by somebody → seine Pflicht gegenüber jdm tun or erfüllen; it is my duty to say or I am (in) duty bound to say that … → es ist meine Pflicht zu sagen, dass …; one’s duty to one’s parents → seine Pflicht (und Schuldigkeit) seinen Eltern gegenüber; it is my painful duty to admit … → ich habe die schwere or traurige Pflicht, Ihnen zu gestehen …; you don’t know? but it’s your duty to know! → du weißt das nicht? aber es ist deine verdammte Pflicht und Schuldigkeit, es zu wissen!; to make it one’s duty to do something → es sich (dat) → zur Pflicht machen, etw zu tun
(= responsibility) → Aufgabe f, → Pflicht f; to take up one’s duties → seine Pflichten aufnehmen; to report for duty → sich zum Dienst melden; to be on duty (doctor etc) → im Dienst sein; (Sch etc) → Aufsicht haben; who’s on duty tomorrow? → wer hat morgen Dienst/Aufsicht?; he went on duty at 9 → sein Dienst fing um 9 an; to be off duty → nicht im Dienst sein; he comes off duty at 9 → sein Dienst endet um 9; I’m off duty on Tuesday → Dienstag habe ich dienstfrei; he was called for overseas duty → er wurde nach Übersee eingezogen; to return to duty → den Dienst wieder aufnehmen; night duty → Nachtdienst m; he’s been neglecting his duties as a husband → er hat seine ehelichen Pflichten vernachlässigt; the box does duty for a table → die Kiste dient als Tisch
duty
:duty NCO
n → UvD m
duty roster
n → Dienstplan m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
duty
[ˈdjuːtɪ] na. (moral, legal) → dovere m
to do one's duty (by sb) → fare il proprio dovere (verso qn)
to make it one's duty to do sth → assumersi l'obbligo di fare qc
to do one's duty (by sb) → fare il proprio dovere (verso qn)
to make it one's duty to do sth → assumersi l'obbligo di fare qc
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
duty
(ˈdjuːti) – plural ˈduties – noun1. what one ought morally or legally to do. He acted out of duty; I do my duty as a responsible citizen.
2. an action or task requiring to be done, especially one attached to a job. I had a few duties to perform in connection with my job.
3. (a) tax on goods. You must pay duty when you bring wine into the country.
ˈdutiable adjective (of goods) on which tax is to be paid.
ˈdutiful adjective (negative undutiful) careful to do what one should. a dutiful daughter.
ˌduty-ˈfree adjective free from tax. duty-free wines.
off duty not actually working and not liable to be asked to do so: The doctor's off duty this weekend; () adjective (etc)She spends her off-duty hours at home.
on duty carrying out one's duties or liable to be asked to do so during a certain period. I'm on duty again this evening.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
duty
→ وَاجِب povinnost pligt Pflicht καθήκον deber velvollisuus devoir dužnost dovere 任務 임무 plicht plikt obowiązek dever долг plikt หน้าที่ görev nghĩa vụ 关税Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
duty
n. deber, obligación; [tax] impuesto;
on ___ → de guardia.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009