as in compels
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the problem is of your own making, so don't think that you can obligate me to help
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Recent Examples of obligates
In May, the city passed new rules requiring retailers with at least 76 carts to either install theft prevention mechanisms, use security deposit devices, or enter into a cart retrieval contract that obligates proactive efforts to pick up their carts.
—
Devan Patel, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
The recommendation only obligates actions if the parties choose to adopt it.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Oct. 2025
The European Union has introduced its Cyber Resilience Act, which obligates manufacturers and retailers to keep tabs on cybersecurity throughout the lifetime of products.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
The site of the meeting is complicated as Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court that obligates the 125 countries that are party to the court to arrest the Russian leader and transfer him to The Hague for trial.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2025
The Finding, issued in 2009, legally obligates the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
—Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Devan Patel, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
The recommendation only obligates actions if the parties choose to adopt it.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Oct. 2025
The European Union has introduced its Cyber Resilience Act, which obligates manufacturers and retailers to keep tabs on cybersecurity throughout the lifetime of products.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
The site of the meeting is complicated as Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court that obligates the 125 countries that are party to the court to arrest the Russian leader and transfer him to The Hague for trial.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2025
The Finding, issued in 2009, legally obligates the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
—Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligates
Verb
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Economic change also compels extra rethinking.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
16 Oct. 2025
-
And for me, that is the fuel that compels this need to create a new era of truth and justice.—
Kurt Streeter,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While China often threatens and coerces other countries, such as in disputes with South Korea and Australia, its actions are often triggered by events that China feels directly threaten its core interests.—
David C. Kang,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Sep. 2025
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Compulsory heterosexuality is a theoretical framework coined by lesbian scholar Adrienne Rich in 1980 to describe how heterosexuality as an institution compels and coerces female sexuality for patriarchal purposes.—
Quispe López,
Them.,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Rasmus Hojlund is the beneficiary and duly obliges with a low finish through goalkeeper Rui Silva’s legs for a goal that will live long in the memory.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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But the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate obliges them to manage both inflation and unemployment.—
Drew O'Connor,
Nashville Tennessean,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some of the material will stay in the coma, while the rest will fall into the comet's tail after pressure from the sun — known as the solar wind — forces it there.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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Moving on, however, becomes a problem when a mysterious unseen force traps and forces them to relive past traumas together in this supernatural soap opera.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obligates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligates. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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