due

[ doo, dyoo ]

adjective

1. owed at present; having reached the date for payment:

   This bill is due.

2. owing or owed, irrespective of whether the time of payment has arrived:

   This bill is due next month.

3. owing or observed as a moral or natural right.
4. rightful; proper; fitting:

   due care; in due time.

5. adequate; sufficient:

   a due margin for delay.

6. under engagement as to time; expected to be ready, be present, or arrive; scheduled:

   The plane is due at noon.

noun

1. something that is due, owed, or naturally belongs to someone.
2. Usually dues. a regular fee or charge payable at specific intervals, especially to a group or organization:

   membership dues.

adverb

1. directly or exactly:

   a due east course.

2. Obsolete. duly.

due

/ djuː /

adjective

1. postpositive immediately payable
2. postpositive owed as a debt, irrespective of any date for payment
3. requisite; fitting; proper
4. prenominal adequate or sufficient; enough
5. postpositive expected or appointed to be present or arrive

   the train is now due

6. due to
   attributable to or caused by

noun

1. something that is owed, required, or due
2. give a person his due
   to give or allow a person what is deserved or right

adverb

1. directly or exactly; straight

   a course due west

Usage Note

Due to as a prepositional phrase meaning “because of, owing to” has been in use since the 14th century: Due to the sudden rainstorm, the picnic was moved indoors. Some object to this use on the grounds that due is historically an adjective and thus should be used only predicatively in constructions like The delay was due to electrical failure. Despite such objections, due to occurs commonly as a compound preposition and is standard in all varieties of speech and writing.

Usage

The use of due to as a compound preposition (the performance has been cancelled due to bad weather) was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable

Pronunciation Note

See new.

Other Words From

• dueness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of due¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Anglo-French; Middle French deu, past participle of devoir, from Latin dēbēre “to owe”; debt

Word History and Origins

Origin of due¹

C13: from Old French deu, from devoir to owe, from Latin debēre; see debt , debit

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. due to,
   1. attributable to; ascribable to:

      The delay was due to heavy traffic.

   2. because of; owing to:

      All planes are grounded due to fog.

2. give someone his / her due,
   1. to give what justice demands; treat fairly:

      Even though he had once cheated me, I tried to give him his due.

   2. to credit a disliked or dishonorable person for something that is likable, honorable, or the like.
3. pay one's dues, to earn respect, a position, or a right by hard work, sacrifice, or experience:

   She's a famous musician now, but she paid her dues with years of practice and performing in small towns.

More idioms and phrases containing due

In addition to the idiom beginning with due , also see give credit (where it's due) ; give someone his or her due ; give the devil his due ; in due course ; pay one's dues ; with all due respect .

Example Sentences

With all due respect to his athletic skill, Gronkowski is not high on the list of NFL players that elicit carnal thoughts.

From The Daily Beast

I was pregnant, uncomfortably so, for the first time and with twins, due the following March.

From The Daily Beast

But most of this gap, say the researchers who carried out the study, is due to discrimination.

From The Daily Beast

Now it can't open on my phone due to what appears to be software incompatibility.

From The Daily Beast

Whether he gets his full due in popular culture remains to be seen.

From The Daily Beast

Two Battalions racing due North along the coast and foothills with levelled bayonets.

From Project Gutenberg

Not only are they required to do things in a proper orderly manner, but people have to treat them with due deference.

From Project Gutenberg

He came back in due time, but bringing nothing for me, and I felt that my appeal had been in vain.

From Project Gutenberg

Austria's fall was due to the lethargy and hesitation of the courts of Berlin and St. Petersburg.

From Project Gutenberg

They shall plan how this may be done with due propriety, and shall advise us of their action.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• compensation
• interest
• payment
• rate
• repayment
• right