Definition of DUTY
- ️Thu Feb 13 2025
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
(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
5
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
1
: done as a duty
pay a duty call on her elderly aunt
2
: being on duty : assigned to specified tasks or functions
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
Choose the Right Synonym for duty
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
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.
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.
During their press duties in the days before the Super Bowl, players from both teams were asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s attendance at the game.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 10 Feb. 2025
The corporal, while on duty in his marked patrol car, reportedly encountered the girl on North Avenue in front of Coppin.
—Keith Daniels, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2025
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
Dictionary Entries Near duty
Cite this Entry
“Duty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duty. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 13 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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