liable

[lahy-uh-buhl]

adjective

1. legally responsible.

   You are liable for the damage caused by your action.

   Synonyms: accountable, answerable

2. subject or susceptible.

   to be liable to heart disease.

3. likely or apt.

   He's liable to get angry.

liable

/ ˈlaɪəbəl /

adjective

1. legally obliged or responsible; answerable

2. susceptible or exposed; subject

3. probable, likely, or capable

   it's liable to happen soon

Usage

The use of liable to to mean likely to was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable

Liable is often interchangeable with likely in constructions with a following infinitive where the sense is that of probability: The Sox are liable (or likely ) to sweep the Series. Some usage guides, however, say that liable can be used only in contexts in which the outcome is undesirable: The picnic is liable to be spoiled by rain. This use occurs often in formal writing but not to the exclusion of use in contexts in which the outcome is desirable: The drop in unemployment is liable to stimulate the economy. Apt may also be used in place of liable or likely in all the foregoing examples. See also apt, likely.

Other Word Forms

• liableness noun
• nonliable adjective
• preliable adjective
• unliable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of liable¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Anglo-French “to bind,” from Latin ligāre ) + -able

Word History and Origins

Origin of liable¹

C15: perhaps via Anglo-French, from Old French lier to bind, from Latin ligāre

Example Sentences

Harper said asking ministers to defend her publicly if she knew she might be liable for extra tax would be a breach of the ministerial code.

From BBC

The jury in the case found the internet search giant liable to two of three claims of privacy violations but said the firm had not acted with malice.

From BBC

Cardi B was found not liable on all counts by jurors after less than an hour of deliberations.

From Los Angeles Times

Rayner said that when she bought the Hove flat, "my understanding, on advice from lawyers, was that my circumstances meant I was liable for the standard rate of stamp duty".

From BBC

Crucially, Rayner is adamant that she sought advice from a lawyer about the stamp duty liable, and has only now learnt from a different lawyer that that advice was wrong.

From BBC

Related Words

• apt 
• inclined 
• prone 
• sensitive 
• susceptible 
• vulnerable