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Law vocabulary · Rights & Obligations

Liable

Meaning in law, with examples

/ˈlaɪəbl/adjectiveCore term

In law, liable means: Legally responsible for something, especially for paying for loss or damage that you have caused or for a debt.

In Turkish: sorumlu, yükümlü, mesul

How it is used

Very common in contracts and judgments: 'liable for damages', 'liable to pay', 'held liable', 'jointly and severally liable'. The noun is 'liability'. Courts 'find' or 'hold' a party liable. 'Liable to' can also mean 'likely to suffer' something bad: 'goods liable to damage'.

Example sentences

  1. The court held the landlord liable for the water damage.

  2. The guarantors are jointly and severally liable for the loan.

Common collocations

  • held liable
  • liable for damages
  • jointly and severally liable
  • personally liable
  • liable to pay
  • liabilityLegal responsibility for something, especially the duty to pay for harm, loss or debts; in accounting, also an amount that a company owes.
  • damagesMoney that a court orders one party to pay another as compensation for loss or harm caused by a breach of contract or another legal wrong.
  • negligenceFailure to take the care that a reasonable person would take in the same situation, which causes harm or loss to someone else.
  • tortA wrongful act, other than a breach of contract, that causes harm to another person and allows them to claim compensation in a civil court.
  • strict liabilityLegal responsibility for harm that arises even when the person was not careless or at fault, for example for certain defective products or dangerous activities.

More terms: Rights & Obligations

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.