oblige

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
9
Words With Friends
12
Letters
6
Pronunciation
/əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/
See all 3 pronunciations
/əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/ · /əˈbliːd͡ʒ/ · /ɒˈbliːd͡ʒ/

Definition of oblige

3 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

verb

  1. (transitive)To constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means.
    “Your carelessness obliges firmness on my part.”
    “I am obliged to report to the police station every week.”
    “Tho' he was some time awake before me, yet did he not offer to disturb a repose he had given me so much occasion for; but on my first stirring, which was not till past ten o'clock, I was oblig'd to endure one more trial of his manhood.”
See all 3 definitions

verb

  1. (transitive)To constrain someone by force or by social, moral or legal means.
    “Your carelessness obliges firmness on my part.”
    “I am obliged to report to the police station every week.”
    “Tho' he was some time awake before me, yet did he not offer to disturb a repose he had given me so much occasion for; but on my first stirring, which was not till past ten o'clock, I was oblig'd to endure one more trial of his manhood.”
  2. (intransitive, transitive)To do (someone) a service or favour (hence, originally, creating an obligation).
    “He obliged me by not parking his car in the drive.”
    “The singer obliged(us) with an encore.”
    “In the mean time I have another trouble to give you, if you will oblige me in it; and that is to get me a sight of the famous Orrery, which I have heard you and others so often speak of; and which I think was made by Mr. Rowley, the famous Mathematical Instrument-Maker.”
  3. (transitive)To cause somebody to feel indebted.
    “I am much obliged to you for your recent help.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English obligen, from Old French obligier, obliger, from Latin obligō, obligāre, from ob- + ligō. Doublet of obligate, taken straight from Latin.

Anagrams of oblige

2 plays · some not in Scrabble

Hooks

4 extensions · 4 back

A single letter you can add to oblige to make another valid word.

Find your best play with oblige

See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes oblige, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.