obligate

Related to obligate: obligate carrier, obligate aerobes, obligate anaerobes

obligate (one) to

1. To compel, bind, or otherwise force one to do something out of a moral or legal obligation. You cannot obligate your employees to put themselves in harm's way. It's simply not the case that pregnancy obligates a couple to get married any longer.
2. To compel, bind, or otherwise force one remain with or loyal to a particular person, group, company, etc. I just feel like the personal favors my bosses have done for me obligates me to them in some way. The fact of the matter is that your paternity obligates you financially to the baby's mother until the child reaches 18 years of age.
See also: obligate
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

obligate someone to someone or something

to force someone to do something for someone or something. This contract obligates you to the company for five years! I don't wish to obligate myself to anyone.
See also: obligate
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • obligate (one) to
  • obligate to
  • oblige (one) to (do something)
  • oblige to do
  • compel
  • compel (someone) to (do something)
  • compel to do
  • lead (one) to (do something)
  • lead to
  • lead to do
References in periodicals archive
329-330, who suggests that women were in the habit of saying the tefillah, and that is why the Mishnah obligates them to continue to do so.
Women and prayer: an attempt to dispel some fallacies
Examples include forward purchase and sale contracts, futures contracts and repurchase agreements that obligate both parties to a future exchange of financial instruments.
The fundamental financial instrument approach: identifying the building blocks
In fiscal year 2003, USAID estimates that it will obligate about $13 billion for assistance programs in almost 160 countries.
Foreign Assistance: USAID's Operating Expense Account Does Not Fully Reflect the Cost of Delivering Foreign Assistance
Summary: The new law obligates the managers to respond to leave requests within 10 days.
Dubai announces 13 new leaves from January
This agreement grants the company the option to sell and obligates Southridge to purchase up to $20,000,000 of common stock over its term.
Bio-Matrix stem cell subsidiary raises $20 million
Article Ten of that treaty obligates nations party to the convention to "adopt measures relating to the use of biological resources to avoid or minimize adverse impacts on biological diversity." The vague and imprecise language of this clause obligates nations party to the treaty to hold environmental concerns above all others in matters of law and policy.
Tendrils of tyranny: the United Nations has long sought to control all aspects of human endeavor. Its vast bureaucracy is now closer to that goal than ever before
Among other things, the agreement obligates signatory nations to share benefits from the commercial use of the world's plants and animals.
Clinton to sign Earth pact
To ensure that the corporation can acquire this stock via a redemption, the tax adviser suggests that the shareholders--including Jerry--currently establish a buy-sell or shareholder sale agreement that obligates the deceased shareholder's estate to offer to sell the stock to the corporation at the agreement price.
Avoiding locked-in installment gain on a predeath stock redemption