liability

liability — noun

1. A legal duty making a person or organization answerable for harm, loss, or injur

1.nounB2
Definition

A legal duty making a person or organization answerable for harm, loss, or injury caused to someone else.

Example

The company accepted liability for the chemical spill that polluted the river.

liability + for + [wrongdoing]

Under the new law, drivers have unlimited liability for injuries caused by their vehicles.

uncountable noun with 'have' + 'for'

Common collocations
  • accept liability
  • bear liability
  • admit liability
  • deny liability
  • incur liability
  • limited liability
  • strict liability
  • civil liability
  • criminal liability
  • liability for damages
Synonyms
  • responsibility

    broader term; can refer to moral or general duty, not just legal obligation

  • accountability

    focuses on being answerable for one's actions; often overlaps with liability in formal contexts

  • obligation

    broader still; may refer to any binding duty, not necessarily legal

Antonyms
  • immunity

    exemption from legal responsibility, often granted by law or contract

Grammar Patterns

liability + for + [damage/injury/debt]

accept/bear/admit/deny + liability

Usage Note

Commonly appears in legal and insurance contexts. The verb collocations 'accept liability', 'bear liability', 'admit liability', and 'deny liability' form fixed expressions in formal English.

Common Mistakes

The driver took liability for the accident.
The driver accepted liability for the accident.
the standard collocation in legal English is 'accept liability', not 'take liability'.
The company has liability to pay for the damage.
The company has liability for the damage.
use 'liability for' (not 'liability to') when stating the cause of the responsibility.

2. Money or financial obligations that a person, company, or organization owes to a

2.nounB2
Definition

Money or financial obligations that a person, company, or organization owes to another party.

Example

The startup's liabilities exceeded its assets, forcing it to declare bankruptcy.

plural 'liabilities' on a balance sheet

Minh's financial advisor helped her calculate her total liabilities before she applied for a mortgage.

Common collocations
  • total liabilities
  • current liabilities
  • long-term liabilities
  • liabilities exceed assets
  • hidden liabilities
  • pay off liabilities
  • take on a liability
Synonyms
  • debt

    more general and everyday term; 'liability' is more formal and technical

  • financial obligation

    more explicit but less common in everyday speech

Antonyms
  • asset

    something of value that a person or company owns, the opposite of a debt

Grammar Patterns

liabilities + verb (plural)

total/current/long-term + liabilities

Usage Note

In financial accounting, 'liabilities' (plural) is the standard term for all debts listed on a balance sheet. The singular 'liability' refers to a single specific debt obligation.

Common Mistakes

The company's liability were very high.
The company's liabilities were very high.
when referring to debts in general, use the plural form 'liabilities' with a plural verb.
They calculated the business's responsibility.
They calculated the business's liabilities.
'responsibility' is not used for financial debts; use 'liabilities' or 'debts'.

3. An individual or item that creates problems instead of providing the expected he

3.nounB2
Definition

An individual or item that creates problems instead of providing the expected help or advantage.

Example

Theo's complete lack of computer skills made him a liability to the IT team.

a liability to [group]

The old heating system was more of a liability than an asset, breaking down every winter.

Common collocations
  • be a liability
  • become a liability
  • turn into a liability
  • consider someone a liability
  • see something as a liability
  • a liability to
  • more of a liability than an asset
Synonyms
  • burden

    closer in emotional weight; less formal than 'liability'

  • drawback

    focuses on disadvantage in a situation rather than a person who causes trouble

  • hindrance

    emphasizes slowing down progress; neutral in register

Antonyms
  • asset

    a person or thing that is helpful and valuable, the direct opposite in this sense

Grammar Patterns

a liability + to + [person/group]

become / be / consider / see as + a liability

Usage Note

Frequently contrasted with 'asset' in the same sentence. Subject is typically a person, a piece of equipment, or a system that was expected to be useful. Often used in workplace or team contexts.

Common Mistakes

My old car is a big liability on me.
My old car is a big liability to me.
use the preposition 'to' (not 'on') after 'a liability'.
His bad attitude is liability.
His bad attitude is a liability.
'liability' in this sense is a countable noun and needs an article.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to a state of being answerable for something, but they differ in scope and context. 'Liability' is the most specific: it almost always implies a legal or financial obligation enforceable by law — for instance, a company's liability for a defective product. 'Responsibility' is the broadest term, covering legal, moral, and social duties; you can feel responsible for a friend's wellbeing without any legal obligation. 'Accountability' focuses on being called to explain one's actions, often in a professional or political setting — an elected official is accountable to voters. 'Duty' carries a sense of moral or ethical compulsion, often tied to a role or position, such as a doctor's duty to care for patients. In legal writing, 'liability' is preferred when the consequence is a financial penalty or court order, while 'responsibility' is used for broader obligations.

liability ↗responsibility ↗accountability ↗duty ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • limited liability
  • joint and several liability
  • product liability
  • employer's liability

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinAnglo-FrenchEnglish

The word 'liability' entered English in the mid-1700s from the adjective 'liable', which came from Anglo-French 'liable' meaning 'to be bound or answerable'. The French root traces back to Latin 'ligare', meaning 'to tie or bind' — the same root that gave us 'ligament' and 'obligation'. The financial sense ('debts') developed in the 1800s as business accounting became more formalized. The 'burden or hindrance' sense emerged in everyday English in the early 1900s, drawing a metaphor from the weight of legal or financial obligations.