duty - Definition | Dictionary definition of duty

Definition of duty

the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

"we must instill a sense of duty in our children"

every possession, a duty"- John D.Rockefeller Jr

Types:: show 21 types...; hide 21 types...; job
the responsibility to do something; guardianship, keeping, safekeeping
the responsibility of a guardian or keeper; custody, hands
(with `in') guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child; moral obligation
an obligation arising out of considerations of right and wrong; noblesse oblige
the obligation of those of high rank to be honorable and generous (often used ironically); burden of proof
the duty of proving a disputed charge; civic duty, civic responsibility
the responsibilities of a citizen; jury duty
the civic duty to serve on a jury; filial duty
duty of a child to its parents; obedience, respect
behavior intended to please your parents; imperative
some duty that is essential and urgent; incumbency
a duty that is incumbent upon you; legal duty
acts which the law requires be done or forborne; fiduciary duty
the legal duty of a fiduciary to act in the best interests of the beneficiary; line of duty
all that is normally required in some area of responsibility; white man's burden
the supposed responsibility of the white race to provide care for their non-white subjects; prerequisite, requirement
something that is required in advance; precondition
a condition that is a prerequisite; academic requirement
a requirement for admission to or completion of an academic program; essential condition, sine qua non
a prerequisite; demand, requirement
required activity

Type of:: social control
control exerted (actively or passively) by group action

work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons

Types:: show 17 types...; hide 17 types...; chore, job, task
a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee; ball-breaker, ball-buster
a job or situation that is demanding and arduous and punishing; stint
an individual's prescribed share of work; scut work, shitwork
trivial, unrewarding, tedious, dirty, and disagreeable chores; function, office, part, role
the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group; capacity
a specified function; hat
an informal term for a person's role; portfolio
the role of the head of a government department; lieu, place, position, stead
the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another; second fiddle
a secondary role or function; assignment, duty assignment
a duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces); guard, guard duty, sentry duty, sentry go
the duty of serving as a sentry; fatigue, fatigue duty
labor of a nonmilitary kind done by soldiers (cleaning or digging or draining or so on); charge, commission, mission
a special assignment that is given to a person or group; reassignment
assignment to a different duty; sea-duty, service abroad, shipboard duty
naval service aboard a ship at sea; shore duty
naval service at land bases

a government tax on imports or exports

Types:: show 10 types...; hide 10 types...; custom, customs, customs duty, impost
money collected under a tariff; ship money
an impost levied in England to provide money for ships for national defense; tonnage, tonnage duty, tunnage
a tax imposed on ships that enter the US; based on the tonnage of the ship; octroi
a tax on various goods brought into a town; revenue tariff
a tariff imposed to raise revenue; protective tariff
a tariff imposed to protect domestic firms from import competition; anti-dumping duty
a tariff imposed to prevent dumping; import duty
a duty imposed on imports; export duty
a duty imposed on exports; countervailing duty
a duty imposed to offset subsidies by foreign governments