liable

adjective

li·a·ble ˈlī-ə-bəl

especially in sense 2 often

ˈlī-bəl

Synonyms of liable next

: obligated according to law or equity (see equity sense 3) : responsible

Both owners are liable for the debts incurred by the business.

: subject to appropriation or attachment

All his property is liable to pay his debts.

: being in a position to incur

—used with to

liable to a fine

: exposed or subject to some usually adverse contingency or action

Watch out or you're liable to fall.

Liable vs. Apt: Usage Guide

Both liable and apt when followed by an infinitive are used nearly interchangeably with likely. Although conflicting advice has been given over the years, most current commentators accept apt when so used. They generally recommend limiting liable to situations having an undesirable outcome, and our evidence shows that in edited writing it is more often so used than not.

Choose the Right Synonym for liable

liable, open, exposed, subject, prone, susceptible, sensitive mean being by nature or through circumstances likely to experience something adverse.

liable implies a possibility or probability of incurring something because of position, nature, or particular situation.

liable to get lost

open stresses a lack of barriers preventing incurrence.

a claim open to question

exposed suggests lack of protection or powers of resistance against something actually present or threatening.

exposed to infection

subject implies an openness for any reason to something that must be suffered or undergone.

all reports are subject to review

prone stresses natural tendency or propensity to incur something.

prone to delay

susceptible implies conditions existing in one's nature or individual constitution that make incurrence probable.

very susceptible to flattery

sensitive implies a readiness to respond to or be influenced by forces or stimuli.

unduly sensitive to criticism

synonyms see in addition responsible

Example Sentences

If someone gets hurt on your property, you could be liable. because of his frail constitution, he's liable to diseases

Recent Examples on the Web The words echoed those of Jack in her 2015 ruling that found the state liable for unconstitutionally subjecting foster children to risk of rape, overuse of psychotropic drugs and poor care that stunts their life prospects. —

Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, 3 Feb. 2021 Making that gap wider are new laws controlling who is legally liable for what on the internet. —

Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 19 Jan. 2021 But with space-eating defensive end Calais Campbell unavailable and defensive tackle Brandon Williams injured in the first quarter, the alignment also made Queen more liable to get driven off the ball. —

Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 20 Nov. 2020 Bobbi Kristina's ex-partner Nick Gordon, who was found liable in her death, died earlier this year. —

CBS News, 19 Nov. 2020 Bobbi Kristina’s then-boyfriend, Nick Gordon was found liable for her untimely death in 2017. —

Brooklyn White, Essence, 19 Nov. 2020 The jury found power company PacifiCorp liable for devastating wildfires in Oregon in 2020. —

Nancy Rivera Brooks, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2023 The jury’s decision to hold PacifiCorp liable for the fires applies to thousands of other victims who are members of a class in the case. —

Tsicking, oregonlive, 16 June 2023 Holmes is jointly liable for the amount with Sunny Balwani, her ex-boyfriend and Theranos' former COO, who is serving nearly 13 years for his role in the fraud. —

Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 13 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.