duty bound, to be
duty bound
Obligated or expected to do something. Now that our parents are dead, I'm duty bound to care for my siblings. As a parent, you are duty bound to protect your child.
See also: bound, duty
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
duty bound
(to do something) forced by a sense of duty and honor to do something. Good evening, madam. I'm duty bound to inform you that we have arrested your husband. No one made me say that. I was duty bound.
See also: bound, duty
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
duty bound
Obliged, as in You're duty bound to help your little brother. [c. 1900]
See also: bound, duty
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
duty bound
morally or legally obliged to do something.See also: bound, duty
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
duty bound
Obliged: You are duty bound to help your little sister and brother.
See also: bound, duty
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
duty bound, to be
To be firmly obligated. This term is derived from bounden duty, which dates from the 1500s and was actually redundant, since from the 1400s bound also meant “under obligations.” The term also retains this form three centuries later: “It was his bounden duty to accept the office” (Harriet Martineau, The Manchester Strike, 1833). At some point this locution was grammatically changed to the present participial usage, as in “I’m duty bound to report this violation to the dean.”
See also: duty
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- duty bound
- be duty bound
- be/feel duty/honour bound to do something
- duty bound to (someone or something)
- duty
- honour
- bound
- honor
- feel
- all oak and iron bound