as in forcing
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 obligating
The unions argue that carrying out permanent layoffs during a funding lapse violates the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from obligating funds without congressional authorization, and exceeds executive authority under the Administrative Procedure Act.
—
Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
This document, signed by a sponsor, is a legally enforceable contract obligating the sponsor to support the immigrant and prevent them from relying on public aid.
—Daniel Shoer Roth, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
The following year, legislation was passed formally designating these problems as matters of national concern and obligating local governments to implement countermeasures.
—Gil Press, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Killborn said he was told by CBS’ legal team that the segment would implicate an FCC rule obligating stations to offer comparable time to political candidates.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
This document, signed by a sponsor, is a legally enforceable contract obligating the sponsor to support the immigrant and prevent them from relying on public aid.
—Daniel Shoer Roth, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
The following year, legislation was passed formally designating these problems as matters of national concern and obligating local governments to implement countermeasures.
—Gil Press, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Killborn said he was told by CBS’ legal team that the segment would implicate an FCC rule obligating stations to offer comparable time to political candidates.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obligating
Verb
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The Heat did it by sitting in its zone defense for most of the night, slowing the 76ers and forcing them into 17 non-paint two-point shots.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
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The decision drew immediate fire from El-Sayed's primary opponents and national Democratic figures, forcing a rare public reckoning over how far the party should go to recapture young men who abandoned it in record numbers in 2024.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Indonesia responded the following day by coercing the UDT and APODETI, among others, into issuing and signing the Balibo Declaration, which proclaimed the integration of East Timor into Indonesia.—
Agathe Demarolle,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Mar. 2026
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Meyers is also accused of coercing the 15-year-old into recording the high school’s wrestling team, the complaint alleges.—
Brittany Kubicko,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department initially said that its release, made in response to a law passed by Congress compelling the agency to disclose nearly all files related to Epstein, comprised more than 3 million pages.—
Elliott Ramos,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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City staff, however, expressed concerns about the request, compelling the recycling plant to instead propose a new shear in the same location as the current one and reducing the new shear's size.—
Jessie Christopher Smith,
Oklahoman,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In civil aerospace, for example, Rolls is benefiting as manufacturers Airbus and Boeing struggle to deliver new aircraft at the pace the market requires — obliging airlines to keep flying old planes (and their engines) for longer.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2026
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Black has sometimes driven for miles to a particular cemetery only to find a funeral under way, obliging him to leave empty-handed.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obligating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obligating. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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