INDEX:
1. when it is someone’s job or duty to do something
2. something that is your job or your duty to do
3. to agree to be responsible for something
4. to give the responsibility for doing something to another person
RELATED WORDS
when someone is responsible for something bad happening : ↑ FAULT
to be in charge of a company or group of people : ↑ IN CHARGE OF
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1. when it is someone’s job or duty to do something
▷ be responsible for/have responsibility for /biː rɪˈspɒnsə̇b ə l fəʳ something ǁ-ˈspɑːn, hæv rɪˌspɒnsə̇ˈbɪlə̇ti fəʳ something ǁ-ˌspɑːn-/ [verb phrase]
if you are responsible for or have responsibility for doing something, it is your job or your moral or legal duty to do it :
▪ The CEO is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the company.
▪ Why is it in our society that women are primarily responsible for raising children?
▪ The Navy has responsibility for the defense of the island.
▪ The health minister has overall responsibility for Britain’s hospitals.
▷ be up to /biː ˈʌp tuː/ [verb phrase]
if something is up to you, you are the person who is supposed to do it :
▪ She’s done her part of the job. The rest is up to Phillip.
it is up to somebody to do something
▪ It is up to the teacher to keep the class quiet and working hard.
▷ be in charge of /biː ɪn ˈtʃɑːʳdʒ ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to be the person who controls something and is responsible for it :
▪ Who’s in charge of the club’s finances?
▪ The UN officer is in charge of coordinating all refugee programs in the region.
▪ The agency in charge of enforcing Mexico’s gun laws declined requests for an interview.
▷ take care of /look after British /ˌteɪk ˈkeər ɒv, ˌlʊk ˈɑːftəʳǁ-ˈæf-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to be responsible for a particular part or area of an organization, process, system etc :
▪ My assistant takes care of all the travel arrangements - you’ll have to ask him.
▪ Sally looks after the accounts, and I’m in charge of the building itself.
▷ the onus is on somebody /ði ˈəʊnəs ɪz ɒn somebody/
if the onus is on someone to do something important or to make sure that something important is done, it is their responsibility to do it, without waiting to be helped or told to do it :
▪ The onus of restarting the economy is on the government.
the onus is on sb to do something
▪ The onus is on the taxpayer to make sure they pay enough tax.
▪ At university the onus is on you to work hard - no one is going to force you.
2. something that is your job or your duty to do
▷ responsibility /rɪˌspɒnsɪˈbɪləti, rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪlətiǁrɪˌspɑːn-/ [countable noun]
something that you have to do because it is your job or your duty, for example dealing with something or looking after someone :
▪ The house is my responsibility, and I can’t just let it fall apart.
▪ Having children is a big responsibility and I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.
responsibility to do something
▪ It is a manager’s responsibility to set clear expectations for his or her employees.
take on a responsibility
accept a responsibility
▪ I have a bad habit of taking on more responsibilities than I can handle.
▷ somebody’s job / somebodyˈs ˈdʒɒbǁ-ˈdʒɑːb/ [noun phrase] spoken
something that someone is responsible for doing :
▪ I’m not doing the shopping - that’s your job.
▪ Agency employees must enforce regulations once they’re approved. That’s their job.
it’s somebody’s job to do something
▪ It’s my job to make sure all the guests are comfortable.
▷ somebody’s duty / somebodyˈs ˈdjuːtiǁ-ˈduː-/ [noun phrase]
something that someone is officially, morally, or legally responsible for doing :
▪ I don’t give out parking tickets because I like to - it’s my duty.
it is somebody’s duty to do something
▪ I think it’s your duty to tell her what you know.
▪ My duty as a police officer is to find out the facts and communicate them to the proper people.
do your duty
▪ As the families wept openly, the prosecutor urged the jury to do its duty and convict Ballenger.
▷ burden /ˈbɜːʳdn/ [countable noun]
something difficult or worrying that you are responsible for :
▪ Running the business on my own can be a burden at times.
burden of doing something
▪ The minister has the burden of explaining why he must raise taxes.
heavy burden
a very difficult burden
▪ She has three children and heavy financial burdens at home.
carry a burden
have that responsibility
▪ Carrying the burdens of leadership is never an easy task.
3. to agree to be responsible for something
▷ take on /ˌteɪk ˈɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to agree to be responsible for something, especially something that will make you have a lot of work or pressure :
take something on
▪ I’m very busy. I’m afraid I can’t take anything else on at the moment.
take on something
▪ Alice always seems willing to take on extra work without complaining.
▷ assume responsibility for /əˌsjuːm rɪˌspɒnsə̇ˈbɪlə̇ti fɔːʳǁ əˌsuːm rɪˌspɑːn-/ [verb phrase] formal
to take responsibility for something that must be done :
▪ The ship’s owner has assumed responsibility for cleaning up the oil spill.
▪ It was natural for Richard, as elder son, to assume responsibility for the family.
▷ shoulder /ˈʃəʊldəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to agree to take responsibility for something that will be difficult to deal with :
shoulder responsibility/debts/the cost/burdens
▪ The burden of supporting the poor is shouldered mainly by charities.
▪ The company is unwilling to shoulder the cost of installing a daycare center.
4. to give the responsibility for doing something to another person
▷ make somebody responsible for /ˌmeɪk somebody rɪˈspɒnsə̇b ə l fɔːʳǁ-ˈspɑːn-/ [verb phrase]
▪ The law makes the government responsible for clean up of the waste at these sites.
▪ Our department has been made responsible for all areas of training.
▪ The best way of ensuring that the chores are done is by making each child responsible for a different one.
▷ put somebody in charge /ˌpʊt somebody ɪn ˈtʃɑːʳdʒ/ [verb phrase]
to give someone the responsibility of doing something or of making sure that it is done :
▪ The boss is going to be out of the office next week, and he’s putting me in charge.
put sb in charge of
▪ Who have they put in charge of the investigation?
▪ He had done rather well in the job and had been put in charge of a whole chain of stores.
▷ delegate /ˈdelɪgeɪt, ˈdeləgeɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to make someone you work with, especially someone in a lower position than you, responsible for a job or duty, so that you do not have to do it yourself :
▪ New managers often find it difficult to delegate.
▪ If you’re so busy, why don’t you delegate some of your work?
▷ pass the buck /ˌpɑːs ðə ˈbʌkǁˌpæs-/ [verb phrase]
to try not to accept responsibility for a problem or a mistake that you have made, by saying that it was someone else’s fault :
▪ It’s easy to pass the buck and blame someone else for your failure.
▪ Diplomats say NATO is clearly at fault, and that officials there are trying to pass the buck.
▷ leave something with /ˈliːv something wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb] British
to make someone responsible for something that you cannot do or do not have time to do :
▪ I didn’t have time to do the accounts so I left them with Sophie.
▪ Can we leave all this with you? It’s just too complicated for us to understand.
▷ leave it to /ˈliːv ɪt tuː/ [verb phrase]
to make someone responsible for doing something, especially something that has already been started :
▪ Leave it to me. I’ll find you a place to stay.
leave it to somebody to do something
▪ Can I leave it to you to sort out the details of the conference?
▪ The proposal leaves it to local communities to enforce the law.
▷ entrust /ɪnˈtrʌst/ [transitive verb] formal
to give someone the responsibility of doing something important, especially because you believe they will do it well and honestly :
entrust somebody/something to somebody
▪ I foolishly entrusted the task of collecting the money to Ron.
entrust somebody with something
▪ Managers show respect for employees by entrusting them with important decisions.
entrust somebody/something to the care of somebody
▪ As a child Bertrand was entrusted to the care of nuns at a local convent.