on duty

on du·ty

O o

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [on, awn doo-tee, dyoo-]
- /ɒn, ɔn ˈdu ti, ˈdyu-/
- /ɒn ˈdjuːti/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [on, awn doo-tee, dyoo-]
- /ɒn, ɔn ˈdu ti, ˈdyu-/

Definitions of on duty words

noun plural on duty something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation. 1
noun plural on duty the binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right; moral or legal obligation. 1
noun plural on duty an action or task required by a person's position or occupation; function: the duties of a clergyman. 1
noun plural on duty the respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, superior, elder, etc. 1
noun plural on duty an act or expression of respect. 1
noun plural on duty a task or chore that a person is expected to perform: It's your duty to do the dishes. 1

See all 18 definitions of on duty

Information block about the term

Origin of on duty

First appearance:

before 1250

One of the 11% oldest English words

1250-1300; Middle English du(e)te < Anglo-French duete. See due, -ty2

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for On duty

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of On duty

on duty popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

on duty usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for on duty

adj on duty

at it — having sex
at work — If someone is at work they are doing their job or are busy doing a particular activity.
busy — A busy time is a period of time during which you have a lot of things to do.
in harness — the combination of straps, bands, and other parts forming the working gear of a draft animal. Compare yoke1 (def 1).
in place — a particular portion of space, whether of definite or indefinite extent.

adjective on duty

employed — Give work to (someone) and pay them for it.
inked — (slang) Having a tattoo or tattoos.
laboring — productive activity, especially for the sake of economic gain.
labouring — (British, Canada) present participle of labour.

All 9 Synonyms of on duty