liable

liable — adjective

1. required by law to take responsibility for something that happens and to pay cos

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

required by law to take responsibility for something that happens and to pay costs, pay compensation, or face a penalty when things go wrong.

Example

If the driver caused the accident, the insurance company is liable for the repair costs.

be liable for + cost / damage

The factory was found liable for polluting the river and had to pay a large fine.

passive: be found liable for [wrongdoing]

Common collocations
  • liable for damages
  • liable for costs
  • liable for debts
  • liable for injuries
  • held liable
  • found liable
  • personally liable
  • jointly liable
Synonyms
  • responsible

    broader meaning — covers any duty or role, not just legal or financial obligation.

  • accountable

    emphasises being answerable to someone in authority, often requiring explanation rather than payment.

  • answerable

    more formal, often used with 'to' + a specific authority or body.

Antonyms
  • unaccountable

    not required to explain or take responsibility.

  • exempt

    officially free from a legal obligation.

Grammar Patterns

be liable for + noun/gerund

be held liable for + noun/gerund

be found liable for + noun/gerund

Usage Note

Frequently passive — the phrases 'be held liable' and 'be found liable' are the most common patterns in legal contexts. The subject is usually a person, company, or organisation that has a duty under law. Not used in progressive tenses (*is being liable).

Common Mistakes

The teacher is liable for the students' learning progress.
The teacher is responsible for the students' learning progress.
'liable' implies a legal or financial obligation, not a general duty.

2. likely to experience something unpleasant or to behave in a way that causes prob

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

likely to experience something unpleasant or to behave in a way that causes problems, because of the situation or the nature of someone or something.

Example

Without regular maintenance, old wooden stairs are liable to break.

liable to + infinitive for undesirable outcome

Their nervous dog is liable to bark at anyone who comes near the gate.

Common collocations
  • liable to break
  • liable to fail
  • liable to collapse
  • liable to flooding
  • liable to cause problems
  • liable to change
Synonyms
  • prone to

    suggests a lasting tendency or vulnerability, e.g., 'prone to headaches'; slightly more formal.

  • likely to

    neutral — can be used for any outcome; 'liable to' is restricted to negative ones.

  • susceptible to

    focuses on being easily affected or harmed; often used in medical or technical contexts.

Antonyms
  • unlikely to

    not expected or probable.

  • immune to

    not affected by something, especially a disease or criticism.

Grammar Patterns

be liable to + infinitive

be liable to + noun

Usage Note

The outcome described by 'liable to' is almost always negative or unwanted — using it for neutral or positive events sounds unnatural. Distinguish from 'likely to', which is neutral and can be used with any outcome. Only sense 2 of this word can be followed by an infinitive ('liable to break').

Common Mistakes

The weather is liable to be sunny tomorrow.
The weather is likely to be sunny tomorrow.
'liable to' is reserved for undesirable outcomes; use 'likely to' for neutral or positive events.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These four words all describe being in a position where you must answer for your actions, but they differ in scope and context. Liable is the most specific to legal and financial settings — it means the law requires you to pay costs or face penalties if something goes wrong. Responsible is the broadest word: a parent is responsible for a child's safety, a worker is responsible for a task, and a company is responsible for its products. Accountable shifts the focus to answering to someone in authority — you explain your actions to a boss, a committee, or the public. Answerable is the most formal and often implies a clear chain of command, as in 'officials answerable to Parliament.' For a practical example: a driver who causes a crash is liable for the repair costs (financial), responsible for the safety of passengers (duty), accountable to the police (explanation), and answerable to the court (formal judgement).

liable ↗responsible ↗accountable ↗answerable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • personally liable
  • jointly liable
  • fully liable
  • strictly liable
  • potentially liable

Phrases

  • hold someone liable
  • find someone liable
  • be held liable for
  • be found liable for
  • make someone liable for

Prepositions

  • liable for
  • liable to

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Liable entered English from Anglo-French in the 15th century, based on Old French 'lier' (to bind), which itself came from Latin 'ligare' (to tie or bind). The original meaning was 'legally bound,' and by the 1530s it was being used for being subject to a legal obligation. By the 1600s a second sense developed: 'exposed or subject to something (often unpleasant),' as in 'liable to punishment.' The modern sense of 'likely' was established by the early 1800s, moving from being exposed to something to simply being apt to experience it.