oblige
/əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/ verb C1- To constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means. · Your carelessness obliges firmness on my part.· I am obliged to report to the police station every week.
- To do (someone) a service or favour (hence, originally, creating an obligation). · He obliged me by not parking his car in the drive.· The singer obliged(us) with an encore.
- To cause somebody to feel indebted. · I am much obliged to you for your recent help.
He/she/it obliges · Past obliged · Past participle obliged · -ing form obliging
Verb forms
- Base form
- oblige
- He/she/it
- obliges
- Past
- obliged
- Past participle
- obliged
- -ing form
- obliging
From the library
“And that’s the jury-box,” thought Alice, “and those twelve creatures,” (she was obliged to say “creatures,” you see, because some of them were animals, and some were birds,) “I suppose they are the jurors.” She said this last word two or three times over to herself, being rather proud of it: for she thought, and rightly too, that very few little girls of her age knew the meaning of it at all.
She did it so quickly that the poor little juror (it was Bill, the Lizard) could not make out at all what had become of it; so, after hunting all about for it, he was obliged to write with one finger for the rest of the day; and this was of very little use, as it left no mark on the slate.
“I suppose I could do it to oblige you,” said Anne thoughtfully.
Oh, I’m so much obliged to you.”
Learn oblige in real texts
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