liable
/ˈlaɪəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlaɪəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlī-ə-bəl especially in sense 2 often ˈlī-bəl/ (ame, mw)
liable — adjective
- liablepositive
- more liablecomparative
- most liablesuperlative
1. required by law to take responsibility for something that happens and to pay cos
required by law to take responsibility for something that happens and to pay costs, pay compensation, or face a penalty when things go wrong.
If the driver caused the accident, the insurance company is liable for the repair costs.
be liable for + cost / damage
The factory was found liable for polluting the river and had to pay a large fine.
passive: be found liable for [wrongdoing]
Employers are liable for any injuries their staff suffer while at work.
Under the new law, tech companies can be held liable for content posted by users.
The court held the landlord liable for failing to fix the broken stairs.
- responsible
broader meaning — covers any duty or role, not just legal or financial obligation.
- accountable
emphasises being answerable to someone in authority, often requiring explanation rather than payment.
- answerable
more formal, often used with 'to' + a specific authority or body.
- unaccountable
not required to explain or take responsibility.
- exempt
officially free from a legal obligation.
文法句型
be liable for + noun/gerund
be held liable for + noun/gerund
be found liable for + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Frequently passive — the phrases 'be held liable' and 'be found liable' are the most common patterns in legal contexts. The subject is usually a person, company, or organisation that has a duty under law. Not used in progressive tenses (*is being liable).
常見錯誤
2. likely to experience something unpleasant or to behave in a way that causes prob
likely to experience something unpleasant or to behave in a way that causes problems, because of the situation or the nature of someone or something.
Without regular maintenance, old wooden stairs are liable to break.
liable to + infinitive for undesirable outcome
Their nervous dog is liable to bark at anyone who comes near the gate.
Children who do not get enough sleep are liable to catch colds more easily.
This low-lying area is liable to flooding whenever there is heavy rain.
If you leave your phone on a café table, it is liable to get stolen.
- prone to
suggests a lasting tendency or vulnerability, e.g., 'prone to headaches'; slightly more formal.
- likely to
neutral — can be used for any outcome; 'liable to' is restricted to negative ones.
- susceptible to
focuses on being easily affected or harmed; often used in medical or technical contexts.
- unlikely to
not expected or probable.
- immune to
not affected by something, especially a disease or criticism.
文法句型
be liable to + infinitive
be liable to + noun
用法筆記
The outcome described by 'liable to' is almost always negative or unwanted — using it for neutral or positive events sounds unnatural. Distinguish from 'likely to', which is neutral and can be used with any outcome. Only sense 2 of this word can be followed by an infinitive ('liable to break').