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 Note

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. apt, likely.

Usage

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

Derived Forms

• ˈliableness, noun

Other Words From

• non·lia·ble adjective
• pre·lia·ble adjective
• un·lia·ble 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

It concluded she would to "liable to repeat" the same behaviour if she returned to nursing.

From BBC

For days and weeks to come, there will be endless analyses of how Donald Trump, a convicted criminal who fomented an insurrection and was found civilly liable for sexual assualt, still somehow won another presidential election.

From Salon

Donald Trump bungled the worst health crisis in a century, was found guilty of fraud and civilly liable for defamation and sexual assault.

From Salon

In its nearly 250-year history, America has never before chosen a president convicted of a felony, judged liable for sexual abuse and one who took extraordinary steps to overturn the result of the previous election.

From Los Angeles Times

From April 2026, inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m, which were previously exempt, will be liable to the tax at 20%, half the usual rate.

From BBC

Related Words

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