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duty
[ doo-tee, dyoo- ]
noun
- something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.
- the binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right; moral or legal obligation.
- an action or task required by a person's position or occupation; function:
the duties of a clergyman.
Synonyms: , ,
- the respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, superior, elder, etc.
Synonyms: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
- an act or expression of respect.
- a task or chore that a person is expected to perform:
It's your duty to do the dishes.
- Military.
- an assigned task, occupation, or place of service:
He was on radar duty for two years.
- the military service required of a citizen by a country:
After graduation, he began his duty.
- Commerce. a specific or ad valorem tax imposed by law on the import or export of goods.
- a payment, service, etc., imposed and enforceable by law or custom.
- Chiefly British. tax:
income duty.
- Machinery.
- the amount of work done by an engine per unit amount of fuel consumed.
- the measure of effectiveness of any machine.
- Agriculture. the amount of water necessary to provide for the crop in a given area.
- Baby Talk. bowel movement.
duty
/ ˈːɪ /
noun
- a task or action that a person is bound to perform for moral or legal reasons
- respect or obedience due to a superior, older persons, etc
filial duty
- the force that binds one morally or legally to one's obligations
- a government tax, esp on imports
- the quantity or intensity of work for which a machine is designed
- a measure of the efficiency of a machine
- the quantity of water necessary to irrigate an area of land to grow a particular crop
- a job or service allocated
- ( as modifier )
duty rota
- do duty forto act as a substitute for
- off dutynot at work
- on dutyat work
duty
- A tax charged by a government, especially on an import.
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of duty1
Idioms and Phrases
- do duty, to serve the same function; substitute for:
bookcases that do duty as room dividers.
- off duty, not at one's post or work; at liberty:
They spent their days off duty in hiking and fishing.
He was suspended from the force for being drunk while on duty.
More idioms and phrases containing duty
In addition to the idiom beginning with duty , also see above and beyond (the call of duty) ; active duty do one's duty ; double duty ; off duty ; on duty .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
The department is staffed by three 24-hour shifts, known as platoons, with about 1,000 firefighters on duty at any given time.
According to the list, 10 of the police officers were murdered on duty, while five were killed off duty.
Mr Sidhu said he felt a duty to take action when he heard statistics.
House prices fell in April as buyers faced paying thousands of pounds more in stamp duty, according to new figures from Nationwide.
Sources close to the California-based couple reject that this card was a breach of the agreement struck on their departure from royal duties.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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