Meaning & use
civilly liable
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Meaning
adjectiveafter a verblegal
Legally responsible in a civil case, so that you may have to pay compensation or damages.
Grammar: Follows be: the driver was civilly liable. Often followed by for.
Patterns
- be civilly liable for something
- hold someone civilly liable
The company was found civilly liable for the spill.
A parent can be civilly liable for a child's damage in some places.
The court held the doctor civilly liable for the error.
Common combinations
- found civilly liable
- He was found civilly liable for the injuries.
- held civilly liable
- The owner was held civilly liable.
- civilly liable for damages
- They are civilly liable for damages.
- be civilly liable
- Employers can be civilly liable for staff actions.
Synonyms and how they differ
- legally responsible
- Legally responsible is plainer and does not specify civil or criminal.
- answerable
- Answerable is general and can mean accountable without a court.
- accountable
- Accountable is about having to explain actions, not necessarily pay.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: civilly liable or criminally liable?
civilly liable vs criminally liable
Criminally liable means responsible for a crime that may lead to punishment such as prison, unlike civil liability, which usually means paying money.
Practice
If a company is civilly liable, it may have to ___.
Choose one answer.
Civil liability usually means paying damages. A company cannot go to prison or be elected.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “civilly liable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.