liability

LY-uh-BIL-uh-tee

meaning in plain English

Something you owe or have to take care of, like a bill or a duty.

Picture a bill stuck to your shoe— that weight is your liability, something you owe and must carry.

for example

After the accident, the driver realized the other car was his liability to pay for.

Imagine you break something that isn’t yours. You now have a liability—something you must fix or pay for to make it right. Why? Because you caused the problem, and now you’re on the hook for it.