liability

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Accounting Technical

n. an amount of money that a person or company owes.

n. a financial obligation or debt recorded on a balance sheet.

“The business has more liabilities than assets, which is a bad sign for investors.”

“The auditor noted that the firm's long-term liabilities had increased significantly due to the recent acquisition of its competitor.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a person or thing that causes problems or puts you at a disadvantage.

n. a person or thing whose presence or behaviour is likely to cause embarrassment or misfortune.

“His constant lateness made him a liability to the rest of the team.”

“The candidate's history of controversial public statements became a major liability during the final weeks of the election campaign.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Academic · Formal

n. the state of being likely to experience or be affected by something.

n. the quality or state of being susceptible to something, often something negative.

“Some people have a genetic liability to certain types of diseases.”

“The study explored the environmental factors that increase a child's liability to developing respiratory issues later in life.”