Definition of "liable" in English

adjective

1. Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.

   • The surety is liable for the debt of his principal.

2. Subject; susceptible; prone.

   • This crime is liable to imprisonment for life.
   • A man liable to heart disease.

3. Exposed to a certain contingency or causality, more or less probable.

   • Electronic devices are liable to malfunction when exposed to extreme heat.

4. (predicative, with to-infinitive) Likely.

   • Someone is liable to slip on your icy sidewalk.