duty

duty
du|ty
W1S1 [ˈdju:ti US ˈdu:-] n plural duties
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1¦(something you must do)¦
2¦(work)¦
3 be on/off duty
4¦(tax)¦
5 do duty as something
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[Date: 1200-1300; : Anglo-French; Origin: dueté, from Old French deu; DUE1]
1.) ¦(SOMETHING YOU MUST DO)¦ [U and C]
something that you have to do because it is morally or legally right
▪ I promise I will do my duty .
▪ We feel it is our duty to help her.
▪ Local authorities have a duty to keep the streets clean.
▪ You have a duty to your husband and to your children.
▪ She has a strong sense of moral duty .
▪ The unions have failed in their duty to female workers.
▪ In the traditional Hindu family, the son is duty-bound to look after his mother.
2.) ¦(WORK)¦ [C usually plural, U]
something you have to do as part of your job
duties
▪ Martin's duties included cleaning the cars.
▪ She works for her father doing part-time secretarial duties.
▪ He will soon be fit enough to carry out his duties (=do his job) .
▪ He can only do light duties .
▪ When Juliet reported for duty (=arrived and said she was ready to start work) she was sent to check on a new patient.
▪ A teacher may be fired for neglect of duty (=failing to do their job properly) .
▪ He did three tours of duty in Vietnam (=three periods working in a foreign country as a soldier, government officer etc) .
3.) be on/off duty
to be working or not working at a particular time, especially when you are doing a job which people take turns to do, so that someone is always doing it
▪ He's on night duty next week.
▪ Mary goes on duty (=starts working) tonight at half past ten.
▪ What time do you go off duty (=finish work) ?
4.) ¦(TAX)¦ [U and C]
a tax you pay on something you buy
duty on
▪ the duty on cigarettes
customs duty
(=tax paid on goods coming into the country)
5.) do duty as sth
to be used as something
= ↑serve as something
▪ The living room also does duty as a home office.
→↑double duty, ↑heavy-duty,jury duty at ↑jury service,on active duty at ↑active service
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COLLOCATES for sense 1
do your duty
it is somebody's duty to do something
have a duty to do something
have a duty to somebody/owe somebody a duty
sense of duty
moral duty
legal duty
fail in your duty (=fail to do something that you should do for someone)
be duty-bound to do something formal (=have a duty to do something)
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Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • duty — du·ty n pl du·ties [Anglo French deuté indebtedness, obligation, from deu owing, due, from Old French see due] 1: tasks, service, or functions that arise from one s position performing a police officer s duties; also: a period of being on duty… …   Law dictionary

  • Duty — • The definition of the term duty given by lexicographers is: something that is due , obligatory service ; something that one is bound to perform or to avoid Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Duty     Duty …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Duty — Du ty, n.; pl. {Duties}. [From {Due}.] 1. That which is due; payment. [Obs. as signifying a material thing.] [1913 Webster] When thou receivest money for thy labor or ware, thou receivest thy duty. Tyndale. [1913 Webster] 2. That which a person… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • DUTY — DUTY, an action that one is obligated to perform; a feeling, or sense, of obligation. In Judaism man s duties are determined by God s commandments. The entire biblical and rabbinic conception of man s role in the world is subsumed under the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • duty — [do͞ot′ē, dyo͞ot′ē] n. pl. duties [ME duete < Anglo Fr dueté, what is due (owing): see DUE & TY1] 1. the obedience or respect that one should show toward one s parents, older people, etc. 2. conduct based on moral or legal obligation, or a… …   English World dictionary

  • Duty — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Duty Álbum de estudio de Ayumi Hamasaki Publicación …   Wikipedia Español

  • Duty — Album par Ayumi Hamasaki Sortie 27 septembre 2000 Durée 51:45 Genre …   Wikipédia en Français

  • duty — [n1] responsibility, assignment burden, business, calling, charge, chore, commission, commitment, committal, contract, devoir, dues, engagement, function, hook*, job, load, millstone*, minding the store*, mission, must, need, obligation,… …   New thesaurus

  • duty — ► NOUN (pl. duties) 1) a moral or legal obligation. 2) a task required as part of one s job. 3) a payment levied on the import, export, manufacture, or sale of goods. 4) Brit. a payment levied on the transfer of property, for licences, and for… …   English terms dictionary

  • duty — late 13c., from Anglo Fr. duete, from O.Fr. deu due, owed; proper, just, from V.L. *debutus, from L. debitus, pp. of debere to owe (see DEBT (Cf. debt)). Related: Duties. The sense of tax or fee on imports, exports, etc. is from late 15c.; duty… …   Etymology dictionary

  • duty — 1 Obligation Analogous words: responsibility, accountability, amenability, answerability, liability (see corresponding adjectives at RESPONSIBLE) 2 office, *function, province Analogous words: concern, business, *affair 3 *task …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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