Meaning of responsibility in English

responsibility

noun

/rɪˌspɒn.sɪˈbɪl.ə.ti/ us

/rɪˌspɑːn.səˈbɪl.ə.t̬i/

responsibility noun (DUTY)

Add to word list Add to word list

B2 [ C or U ]

something that it is your job or duty to deal with:

[ + to infinitive ] It's her responsibility to ensure the project finishes on time.

She takes her responsibilities as a nurse very seriously.

Synonyms

care  (PROTECTION)
charge  (CONTROL)
custody (CARE)
guardianship
guidance
keeping
protection
tutelage formal

have responsibility

to be in a position of authority over someone and to have a duty to make certain that particular things are done:

Who has responsibility here?

Jenny, you have responsibility for collecting up the books after the class.

have a responsibility to someone

to have a duty to work for or help someone who is in a position of authority over you:

The company says it cannot cut its prices any more because it has a responsibility to its shareholders.

More examplesFewer examples

Fatherhood is a lifelong responsibility.
Colin Lamb has taken over responsibility for this project.
The council denied that their decision represented any abdication of responsibility.
We have the chance to build an outward-looking Europe that lives up to its global responsibilities.
Your responsibilities will be mainly administrative.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Duty, obligation and responsibility

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Power to control

responsibility noun (BLAME)

B2 [ U ]

blame for something that has happened:

Terrorists have claimed responsibility for (= stated that they caused) yesterday's bomb attack.

The minister took/accepted full responsibility for (= admitted that he was to blame for) the disaster and resigned.

More examplesFewer examples

He denied all responsibility for the rumours which have been circulating.
We disclaim all responsibility for this disaster.
The report exonerated the crew from all responsibility for the collision.
I accept full responsibility for the failure of the plan.
It's your decision - you must bear the responsibility if things go wrong.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Innocent

See more results »

responsibility noun (GOOD JUDGMENT)

[ U ]

good judgment and the ability to act correctly and make decisions on your own:

He has no sense of responsibility.

The job carries a lot of responsibility (= it involves making important decisions).

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Wise and sensible

See more results »

Idiom

act/do something on your own responsibility

(Definition of responsibility from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

responsibility | American Dictionary

responsibility

noun

/rɪˌspɑn·səˈbɪl·ɪ·t̬i/

responsibility noun (DUTY)

Add to word list Add to word list

[ C/U ]

a duty to take care of something:

[ C ] With this promotion, Jorge’s responsibilities will be increased.

[ U ] Parents must assume responsibility for their children.

responsibility noun (BLAME)

[ U ]

the cause of a particular action or situation, esp. a harmful or unpleasant one:

The oil company has denied responsibility for the leak.

(Definition of responsibility from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

responsibility | Business English

responsibility

noun

/rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪləti/ us

Add to word list Add to word list

[ C or U ]

something that it is your job or duty to deal with:

responsibility to do sth As a board member, I have a responsibility to ask questions.

responsibility towards sb We have a special responsibility towards our employees.

responsibility for sth She will now assume responsibility for the Logistics Division.

take/delegate/share responsibility

[ U ]

blame for something that has happened:

responsibility for sth I accept responsibility for the problems.

The company denies responsibility for the disaster.

[ plural ]

the things you are in charge of in your job:

Those who survive redundancy may feel compelled to take on increasing responsibilities.

Employees' increased responsibilities are not always recognized.

See also

corporate social responsibility
environmental responsibility
social responsibility

(Definition of responsibility from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of responsibility

responsibility

In the above conversation, the nurse followed up her responsibilities agreed at the discharge planning meeting regarding discussing discharge issues with the patient.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Mounting photographs is the responsibility of the author(s).

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In many developing countries, pollution control regulations are formulated at the national level, but their enforcement is the responsibility of local environmental protection bureaus.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Responsibility for the analysis and interpretation remains with the author.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Getting married confirmed a man's entry into patriarchal society, conferring new social roles and responsibilities.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The strategy, of four inter-linked components, is based on division of roles and responsibilities among the stakeholders, and their participation in the process.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

He had stressed the central question of co-operation and willingness to accept a common responsibility.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

That experience taught me that life's zero-sum nature imposes the hard responsibility of using limited time and energy wisely.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The student is taught never to assume that the mastery of matter is always the responsibility of others.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Both strands are brought together in looking beyond individual responsibility or culpability to the structural and lifecourse causes of the problems.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The revision of tasks was little discussed and clarified, and led to all kinds of problems in the everyday division of responsibilities.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In settings where responsibility for policy making is most clear, incumbent politicians are held accountable for macroeconomic performances.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

My parents put a lot of responsibility on us children.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Other examples come from the municipalities that are assuming more responsibility for prevention, health promotion, and rehabilitation.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Their responsibilities include reviewing patient medication profiles, identifying and monitoring adverse drug reactions, dosage recommendations, and patient education.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with responsibility

responsibility

These are words often used in combination with responsibility.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

abdication of responsibility

It is only by becoming an official of the state that such an abdication of responsibility is justifiable.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

acceptance of responsibility

Acceptance of responsibility seems a useful condition for environmental protection contributions especially when accompanied by activist preferences for one's nation's current and future international role.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

accepted responsibility

They have accepted responsibility for ensuring the security of the people of the region and have acknowledged the desperate need for humanitarian relief.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

See all collocations with responsibility

What is the pronunciation of responsibility?

B2,B2

Translations of responsibility

in Chinese (Traditional)

責任, 職責, 過失…

Meaning of responsibility in English

responsibility noun (DUTY)

responsibility noun (BLAME)

responsibility noun (GOOD JUDGMENT)

Idiom

responsibility | American Dictionary

responsibility noun (DUTY)

responsibility noun (BLAME)

responsibility | Business English

Examples of responsibility

Collocations with responsibility

responsibility

Translations of responsibility

Browse

Learn more with +Plus

Learn more with +Plus