duty

1 of 2

noun

du·​ty ˈdü-tē How to pronounce duty (audio)
 also  ˈdyü-
plural duties
Synonyms of dutynext
1
: conduct due to parents and superiors : respect
filial duty and obedience—John Locke
2
a
: obligatory tasks, conduct, service, or functions that arise from one's position (as in life or in a group)
was his duty to support his family
Her primary duty at the meeting was to take attendance.
performs a variety of administrative duties
b(1)
: assigned service or business
was put on kitchen duty
jury duty
(2)
: active military service
returning from duty overseas
(3)
: a period of being on duty
report for duty at 7 a.m.
3
a
: a moral or legal obligation
felt it was their duty to help
b
: the force of moral obligation
will be ready when duty calls
4
: tax
especially : a tax on imports
a 15 percent duty
5
a
: work sense 1c
b(1)
: the service required (as of an electric machine) under specified conditions
(2)
: functional application : use
got double duty out of the trip
(3)
: use as a substitute
making the word do duty for the thing—Edward Sapir

duty

2 of 2

adjective

1
: done as a duty
pay a duty call on her elderly aunt
2
: being on duty : assigned to specified tasks or functions
the duty officer
Phrases
off duty
: free from assignment or responsibility
a police officer who was off duty at the time
on duty
: engaged in or responsible for an assigned task or duty
not allowed to take personal calls while on duty

Synonyms

Noun

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for duty

function, office, duty, province mean the acts or operations expected of a person or thing.

function implies a definite end or purpose or a particular kind of work.

the function of language is two-fold: to communicate emotion and to give information —Aldous Huxley

office is typically applied to the function or service associated with a trade or profession or a special relationship to others.

they exercise the offices of the judge, the priest, the counsellor —W. E. Gladstone

duty applies to a task or responsibility imposed by one's occupation, rank, status, or calling.

it is the judicial duty of the court, to examine the whole case —R. B. Taney

province applies to a function, office, or duty that naturally or logically falls to one.

I felt it was not my province to inquire —Anne Brontë

task, duty, job, chore, stint, assignment mean a piece of work to be done.

task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

charged with a variety of tasks

duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

the duties of a lifeguard

job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

the job of turning the company around

chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

every child was assigned chores

stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

a 2-month stint as a reporter

assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

a reporter's assignment

Examples of duty in a Sentence

Noun His primary duty at the event is to take attendance. If new employees are unable to carry out their duties, they may be fired. We felt it was our duty to help. He has a duty to support his family. They helped her out of a sense of duty. I'll be ready when duty calls. Her brother returned from duty overseas. a twelve-month tour of duty Many reserve troops were called into active duty.
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.
Noun
Voters arrived at the Brighton District Library after the polls opened at 7 a.m. to perform their civic duty and vote. —Arpan Lobo, Nushrat Rahman, Natalie Davies, Lindsay Tague, Alexander Boesch, Sarah Moore, Sophia Jundy, Mikia Lawrence, Alec Mork, Siddhi Choubey and Sonja Krohn, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2024 The role cutting government spending is not expected to be a Cabinet level position, meaning Musk wouldn’t be required to step away from his CEO duties. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
His duty firearm was seized, the department said, and his police powers were suspended. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 2024 His personnel file shows suspensions for not conducting his rounds during a shift while being shadowed by a recruit and for losing his duty belt and service weapon, which were reportedly stolen from his unlocked vehicle. —Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 28 June 2023 See all Example Sentences for duty 

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English duete, from Anglo-French deueté, dueté, from deu due

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of duty was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing duty

Dictionary Entries Near duty

dutuburi

duty

duty bound

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Duty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duty. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

duty

noun
du·​ty
ˈd(y)üt-ē
plural duties
1
: conduct due to parents and superiors : respect
2
: the action required by one's position or occupation
3
a
: a moral or legal obligation
b
: the force of moral obligation
4
: tax entry 2 sense 1
especially : a tax on imports
5
: the service required (as of an electric machine)
withstands heavy duty

Legal Definition

duty

noun
du·​ty
plural duties
1
: tasks, service, or functions that arise from one's position
performing a police officer's duties
also : a period of being on duty see also jury duty
2
: an obligation assumed (as by contract) or imposed by law to conduct oneself in conformance with a certain standard or to act in a particular way
duty of good faith
a duty to warn of danger
see also public duty doctrine, special duty doctrine
— duty of candor \ -​ˈkan-​dər \
: a duty obligating directors of a corporation to disclose all material facts known to them about a transaction when they are seeking shareholder approval
— duty of care
: a duty to use due care toward others in order to protect them from unnecessary risk of harm
— duty of fair representation
: a duty obligating a labor union to represent the employees in its collective bargaining unit fairly and in good faith
— duty of loyalty
: a duty obligating directors of a corporation to refrain from using their positions to further their own interests rather than the interests of the shareholders (as by self-dealing or fraud)
— fiduciary duty
: a duty obligating a fiduciary (as an agent or trustee) to act with loyalty and honesty and in a manner consistent with the best interests of the beneficiary of the fiduciary relationship (as a principal or trust beneficiary)
3
: tax
especially : a tax on imports
Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French deuté indebtedness, obligation, from deu owing, due, from Old French see due

More from Merriam-Webster on duty

Nglish: Translation of duty for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of duty for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about duty

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