responsibility

responsibility

re‧spon‧si‧bil‧i‧ty S2 W1 /rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪləti, rɪˌspɒnsɪˈbɪləti $ rɪˌspɑːn-/ BrE AmE noun (plural responsibilities)
[Word Family: noun: ↑responsibility ≠ ↑irresponsibility; adverb: ↑responsibly ≠ ↑irresponsibly; adjective: ↑responsible ≠ ↑irresponsible]
1. [uncountable] a duty to be in charge of someone or something, so that you make decisions and can be blamed if something bad happens:
Kelly’s promotion means more money and more responsibility.
+for
The Minister has responsibility for the National Health Service.
with responsibility for something
a manager with responsibility for over 100 staff
it is sb’s responsibility to do something
It’s your responsibility to inform us of any changes.
2. [uncountable] blame for something bad that has happened:
The firm is denying all responsibility.
responsibility for
No one wants to take responsibility for the problem.
The surgeon accepted full responsibility for the error that led to her death..
So far no one has claimed responsibility (=said that they are responsible) for the bombings.
3. [countable] something that you must do as part of your job or duty:
My responsibilities include answering the phone and dealing with customer enquiries.
family/professional/parental etc responsibilities
a single parent struggling to balance work and family responsibilities
4. [countable] something that you ought to do because it is morally or socially right SYN duty
a responsibility to do something
We all have a responsibility to protect the environment.
Parents need to encourage a sense of responsibility in their children (=the ability to behave sensibly in a way that will not harm themselves or other people).
moral/social/legal etc responsibility
The company saw it as part of its social responsibility to provide education for its workers.
5. responsibility to somebody a duty to help someone because of your work or position in society:
A doctor’s first responsibility is to her patients.
6. do something on your own responsibility formal to do something without being told to do it or officially allowed to do it
⇨ ↑diminished responsibility
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
▪ have responsibility for (doing) something The Council has responsibility for maintaining the streetlights.
▪ take responsibility for (doing) something Who do you trust to take responsibility for our country's defence?
▪ take on responsibility (also assume responsibility formal) (=start to have responsibility for something) These days men tend to take on more responsibility at home. | The government must assume greater responsibility for the care of the elderly.
▪ shoulder responsibility (=agree to start having a difficult or unpleasant duty) The city, she said, would shoulder responsibility for caring for the children.
▪ shirk responsibility (=not accept a duty you should accept) He doesn't shirk responsibility.
▪ exercise responsibility formal (=take action because you have responsibility for something) The citizens of ancient Athens met here to exercise their responsibility to govern themselves.
▪ abdicate responsibility formal (=refuse to have responsibility for something you used to have responsibility for) The state should not allow parents to abdicate responsibility for their children.
▪ the responsibility lies with somebody (=they are responsible for it) Ultimate responsibility for admissions lies with the Course Co-ordinator.
■ adjectives
▪ personal responsibility So far, no one had taken personal responsibility for the project.
▪ overall responsibility The Department of Education has overall responsibility for schools and universities.
▪ direct responsibility (=when no other person is involved) He has direct responsibility for all the programmes on Radio 1.
▪ sole responsibility (=not shared with others) The financial director has sole responsibility for financial matters.
▪ collective responsibility (=shared equally by a group of people) Head teachers should encourage a sense of collective responsibility among teachers.
▪ primary responsibility (=most important responsibility) I have primary responsibility for the children.
▪ ultimate responsibility (=responsibility for making a final decision) The National Assembly will have ultimate responsibility for ensuring that health targets are met.
■ phrases
▪ a burden of responsibility (=a lot of responsibility, that worries you) Being the only wage earner put a great burden of responsibility on my father.
▪ a position of responsibility (=a job in which people depend on you to tell them what they should do) Before the age of 21 he had attained a position of responsibility in the factory.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ verbs
▪ accept/take responsibility for something To his credit, he took responsibility for his actions.
▪ claim responsibility (for something) (=say that you are responsible for something bad) No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings.
▪ deny responsibility for something The company denied responsibility for the oil spillage.
▪ bear responsibility for something (=be responsible for something bad) Developed countries must bear much of the responsibility for environmental problems.
■ adjectives
▪ full responsibility The airline accepted full responsibility for the crash.
▪ personal responsibility I take personal responsibility for what went wrong.