duty applies to a task or responsibility imposed by one's occupation, rank, status, or calling.

Duty is what one performs, or avoids doing, in fulfillment of the permanent dictates of conscience, piety, right, or law: duty to one's country; one's duty to tell the truth, to raise children properly.

It is surely the duty of the stronger members in a society to help those who are weak. I'd be failing in my duty if I didn't tell you about the risks involved in the project.

A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; Old French: deu, did, past participle of devoir; Latin: debere, debitum, whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action …

Definition of duty noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

DUTY meaning: 1 : something that is done as part of a job; 2 : something that you must do because it is morally right or because the law requires it

Duty is work that you have to do for your job. Staff must report for duty at their normal place of work. My duty is to look after the animals.

syn: duty, obligation refer to something a person feels bound to do. A duty often applies to what a person performs in fulfillment of the permanent dictates of conscience, piety, right, or law: …

Local authorities have a duty to keep the streets clean. You have a duty to your husband and to your children. She has a strong sense of moral duty. The unions have failed in their duty to …

There are 19 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun duty, three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.