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Law vocabulary · Rights & Obligations

Obligation

Meaning in law, with examples

/ˌɒblɪˈɡeɪʃn/nounCore term

In law, obligation means: Something that a person or organisation must do because a law, a contract or a court order requires it.

In Turkish: yükümlülük, borç, mükellefiyet

How it is used

You 'have', 'meet', 'fulfil', 'perform' or 'breach' an obligation. Contracts list 'the obligations of the supplier', and a party may be 'under an obligation to' do something. Often paired with 'rights'.

Example sentences

  1. The seller is under an obligation to deliver the goods by 1 June.

  2. If they fail to meet their payment obligations, we can terminate the agreement.

Common collocations

  • meet an obligation
  • breach an obligation
  • under an obligation to
  • contractual obligation
  • legal obligation
  • rightSomething the law allows you to have or do, or allows you to demand from others, such as the right to a fair trial or the right to be paid.
  • liabilityLegal responsibility for something, especially the duty to pay for harm, loss or debts; in accounting, also an amount that a company owes.
  • contractAn agreement between two or more parties that the law will enforce, setting out what each side must do or give.
  • breachThe act of breaking a law, a contract term or a duty; also used as a verb meaning to break such a rule or promise.
  • comply withTo act according to a rule, law, order or request; to do what is required.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Rights & Obligations

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