duty

noun

ˈdü-tē How to pronounce duty (audio)
Definition of dutynext
1
as in tax
a charge usually of money collected by the government from people or businesses for public use the shop at the airport charges no duty on tourist memorabilia

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in task
a piece of work that needs to be done regularly the regular duties of a lifeguard

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in obligation
something one must do because of prior agreement I must obey the call of duty and serve my country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun duty contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of duty are assignment, chore, job, stint, and task. While all these words mean "a piece of work to be done," duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

the duties of a lifeguard

When is it sensible to use assignment instead of duty?

In some situations, the words assignment and duty are roughly equivalent. However, assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

a reporter's assignment

Where would chore be a reasonable alternative to duty?

The words chore and duty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

every child was assigned chores

When could job be used to replace duty?

The synonyms job and duty are sometimes interchangeable, but job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

the job of turning the company around

In what contexts can stint take the place of duty?

The meanings of stint and duty largely overlap; however, stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

a 2-month stint as a reporter

When can task be used instead of duty?

Although the words task and duty have much in common, task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

charged with a variety of tasks

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of duty Trump has set a July 9 deadline for imposing reciprocal tariffs, but trade talks have run into obstacles including discussions over duties on farm goods, steel and car parts. —Jennifer Cunningham, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025 In early 2025, the U.S. imposed new tariffs on Canadian lumber, pushing duties as high as 35%. —Felicia Jackson, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025 After swindling his way into loads of cash, Yoshii gradually attempts to disconnect from humanity, moving out of the city, shunning his girlfriend, and entrusting duties to his new, devoted assistant. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 July 2025 Fetterman previously defended his absences as facilitated by his duties as a father. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for duty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duty
  1. tax
  2. task
  3. obligation
  4. job
  5. responsibility
  6. assignment
  7. need
Noun
  • The amendment, which overwhelmingly failed in the 2024 general election, would have let state lawmakers spend tax dollars on education outside the public school system.
    — Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 23 July 2025
  • Black also helped race car driver Helio Castroneves win acquittal in a case alleging tax evasion.
    — Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
Definition of tax
Noun
  • The food truck team operators are judged on their culinary skills each week in a new town challenged with the task of creating dishes that will outsell their competition to stay in the competition.
    — Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 25 July 2025
  • Counting clicks or pageviews doesn’t help if nobody is completing the core task.
    — Pallishree Panigrahi, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
Definition of task
Noun
  • The company emphasized that under both legal and contractual obligations, the company should have been informed of the arrangements.
    — Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • The company has racked up nearly $30 million in fines for failing to meet staffing guidelines and other contractual obligations, but reform advocates argue the fines are not a clear incentive for CoreCivic to improve its facilities.
    — Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 15 July 2025
Definition of obligation
Noun
  • Great companies create cultures where ideas matter more than job titles.
    — JJ Rosen, The Tennessean, 24 July 2025
  • Data showed across seven Valley cities that there were 158 full-time employees with a park ranger job title.
    — Maritza Dominguez, AZCentral.com, 24 July 2025
Definition of job
Noun
  • Data protection policy is typically owned by the chief information security officer (CISO), but the responsibility for migrating to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) extends far beyond the security department.
    — Antonio Sanchez, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • The season sees Wyle's Dr. Robby shoulder the brunt of responsibility as his ER endures a stressful day, capped off with a mass casualty event that sees resources stretched thin.
    — Shania Russell, EW.com, 15 July 2025
Definition of responsibility
Noun
  • But is Fitzpatrick giving off excitement about his new NFL assignment?
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 24 July 2025
  • During his rehab assignment, Buttó hurled three scoreless innings over three minor-league appearances, most recently on Sunday with Triple-A Syracuse.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 23 July 2025
Definition of assignment
Noun
  • Johnson has said from the beginning that the quarterback and play caller need to think alike.
    — Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 21 July 2025
  • The problem for Ruto (and Kenya) is that the economy is faring just well-enough to obviate the need for a sober look at the root causes of the protests and general public disgruntlement.
    — Ken Opalo, semafor.com, 21 July 2025
Definition of need

Browse Nearby Words

dutifulness
duty
duumvirate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Duty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duty. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on duty

Nglish: Translation of duty for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about duty

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Better Ways to Say 'This Sucks'

8 Words with Fascinating Histories
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All