beholden to

idiom

formal

: owing a favor or gift to (someone) : having obligations to (someone)

politicians who are beholden to special interest groups

She works for herself, and so is beholden to no one.

Examples of beholden to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Hailey Bieber won’t be beholden to boring workout wear. —

Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 6 Jan. 2025 Carter saw that as encouragement to not be beholden to existing public interest power figures, ruffling a few feathers. —

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024 But this year, artists seemed less beholden to the bean counters at record labels and tech companies, releasing albums tailored to their own stories and musical interests. —

Stephen Kearse, TIME, 8 Dec. 2024 Unlike reporters, news creators are often not beholden to editorial standards and substantial fact-checking—something that is one high-profile defamation lawsuit away from changing but that, for now, marks a difference. —

Makena Kelly, WIRED, 27 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for beholden to