legally obliged or responsible; answerable susceptible or exposed; subject probable, likely, or capable: it's liable to happen soon
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
li•a•ble /ˈlaɪəbəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- [be + ~]
- legally responsible:You are liable for the damage.
- exposed or subject to something generally negative:If you jump, you're liable to hurt yourself.
- likely;
apt:[~ + to + verb]She's liable to get angry.
li•a•ble
(lī′ə bəl),USA pronunciation adj.
- legally responsible:You are liable for the damage caused by your action.
- subject or susceptible:to be liable to heart disease.
- likely or apt:He's liable to get angry.
- Latin ligāre) + -able
- Anglo-French li(er) to bind (
- 1535–45
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged obliged, accountable.
- 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. See also apt, likely.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'be liable' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bail
- deductible clause
- forfeit
- franchise clause
- heart
- high jump
- implead
- liable
- splotch