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If you are obliged by a rule or law you are metaphorically bound by it—that is, you are required to obey it. The idea of binding links the word to its Latin source, ligāre, meaning “to fasten, bind.” In the most common modern uses of oblige, though, the idea of binding is somewhat masked: it is applied when someone is bound by a debt for some favor or service, as in “We’re much obliged to you for the help,” but in the phrase “happy to oblige” it simply expresses a willingness to do someone a favor, as in “They needed a ride and we were happy to oblige.”
Examples of oblige in a Sentence
Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 8 Aug. 2024
One major difference is that under its rights deal, WBD is obliged to share 200 hours of coverage with European public broadcasters which retain a strong connection with their domestic audiences and are often still regarded as the go-to for Olympics coverage.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2024
Again and again during his administration, Trump would make comments that nobody on his staff felt obliged to heed.
—Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Post, 18 July 2024
Afterward, the White House pushed the mayors' offices to publicly post their support on X. Many obliged, including Nirenberg.
—Alex Thompson, Axios, 10 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for oblige 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oblige.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Oblige.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oblige. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
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oblige
verb
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