Onus
noun
Responsibility or duty.
The onus is on you to prove your innocence

Often appears as...
- place the onus on
- shift the onus to
Usage tips
Formal
noun
Something that is heavy and burdensome.
The onus of caring for his sick mother was a heavy burden

Often appears as...
- heavy onus
- carry the onus
noun
A task or duty that is difficult or unpleasant.
The onus of tackling climate change falls on all of us

Often appears as...
- responsibility onus
- onus of duty
noun
Responsibility or duty.
The onus is on you to prove your innocence

Often appears as...
- place the onus on
- shift the onus to
Usage tips
Formal
noun
Something that is heavy and burdensome.
The onus of caring for his sick mother was a heavy burden

Often appears as...
- heavy onus
- carry the onus
noun
A task or duty that is difficult or unpleasant.
The onus of tackling climate change falls on all of us

Often appears as...
- responsibility onus
- onus of duty
Definition 1 of 3

Legal Context
The term is often used in legal settings to indicate who has the duty to present evidence.

In a trial, the onus of establishing guilt lies with the prosecution.
Emotional Weight
Using 'onus' can imply a sense of heavy responsibility and seriousness.

After the scandal, the onus is on the company to regain public trust.
Initiative Required
The word suggests an active role in taking responsibility, not passively waiting.

When issues arise, the onus is on us to find a solution.
Legal Context
The term is often used in legal settings to indicate who has the duty to present evidence.

In a trial, the onus of establishing guilt lies with the prosecution.
Emotional Weight
Using 'onus' can imply a sense of heavy responsibility and seriousness.

After the scandal, the onus is on the company to regain public trust.
Initiative Required
The word suggests an active role in taking responsibility, not passively waiting.

When issues arise, the onus is on us to find a solution.
Legal Context
The term is often used in legal settings to indicate who has the duty to present evidence.

In a trial, the onus of establishing guilt lies with the prosecution.
Emotional Weight
Using 'onus' can imply a sense of heavy responsibility and seriousness.

After the scandal, the onus is on the company to regain public trust.
Initiative Required
The word suggests an active role in taking responsibility, not passively waiting.

When issues arise, the onus is on us to find a solution.
Video examples
The Reality Behind...
I would have no idea how to look after most, if not all, of the reptiles on this list. This is incredibly easy to get. If I wanted any kind of reptile, I could just do it right now. And I reckon, yeah, I wouldn't need to find out much information, wouldn't need to speak to anyone. I could just do it right now and it would come to my door and the onus is on me to learn about it if I want to.
Video examples
The path to ending...
So far too often, we talk about black communities as vulnerable, we talk about black people as vulnerable, but vulnerability is a personal trait, black communities have been under attack. Black communities have been exploited, black communities have been targeted, and we need to say that, so we don't put the onus on fixing black families and communities,
Video examples
Peter Reinhart: The art...
have had sort of this onus of being health food breads, and people don't like to eat, quote, health food. They like to eat healthy and healthily, but when we think of something as a health food, we think of it as something we eat out of obligation, not out of passion and love for the flavor.
Video examples
Healthy Attraction PIPE...
advertising resistance to disease is important to make selection some creatures have incorporated it into their courtship and the onus is on the male here at 10,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California birds declare their bill of health these sage-grouse gather in open meeting
Video examples
What's needed to bring...
but our democratic institutions -- they're being left behind. The US is one of the few major democracies in the world that puts the onus of voter registration on the individual voter, rather than the government. The rules that govern how to vote vary from state to state,
Video examples
Tyrone Hayes + Penelope...
in babies' bottles and sippy cups. So it really makes you realize the onus on parents to have to look at this and regulate this and police this in their own lives and how astonishing that is. With many plastic baby bottles
Video examples
The Last Northern White...
that's why I think the onus lies on us what goes around comes around as we disrupt and destroy the world the consequences are very real I want the world to know that time a change is happening it's here and for us to be
Video examples
How "baby bonds" could...
to a neoliberal approach in which the market is presumed to be the solution for all our problems, economic or otherwise. As a result, the onus of social mobility has shifted on to the individual.
Video examples
Rebecca MacKinnon: Let's...
that's placing more onus on private intermediaries to police citizen behavior. So what we need to recognize is that if we want to have a citizen-centric Internet in the future,
Video examples
Militant atheism PIPE...
the onus is on you to say why. The onus is not on the rest of us to say why not. We, who are atheists, are also a-fairyists and a-teapotists.
Video examples
The Reality Behind...
I would have no idea how to look after most, if not all, of the reptiles on this list. This is incredibly easy to get. If I wanted any kind of reptile, I could just do it right now. And I reckon, yeah, I wouldn't need to find out much information, wouldn't need to speak to anyone. I could just do it right now and it would come to my door and the onus is on me to learn about it if I want to.
Video examples
The path to ending...
So far too often, we talk about black communities as vulnerable, we talk about black people as vulnerable, but vulnerability is a personal trait, black communities have been under attack. Black communities have been exploited, black communities have been targeted, and we need to say that, so we don't put the onus on fixing black families and communities,
Video examples
Peter Reinhart: The art...
have had sort of this onus of being health food breads, and people don't like to eat, quote, health food. They like to eat healthy and healthily, but when we think of something as a health food, we think of it as something we eat out of obligation, not out of passion and love for the flavor.
Video examples
Healthy Attraction PIPE...
advertising resistance to disease is important to make selection some creatures have incorporated it into their courtship and the onus is on the male here at 10,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California birds declare their bill of health these sage-grouse gather in open meeting
Video examples
What's needed to bring...
but our democratic institutions -- they're being left behind. The US is one of the few major democracies in the world that puts the onus of voter registration on the individual voter, rather than the government. The rules that govern how to vote vary from state to state,
Video examples
Tyrone Hayes + Penelope...
in babies' bottles and sippy cups. So it really makes you realize the onus on parents to have to look at this and regulate this and police this in their own lives and how astonishing that is. With many plastic baby bottles
Video examples
The Last Northern White...
that's why I think the onus lies on us what goes around comes around as we disrupt and destroy the world the consequences are very real I want the world to know that time a change is happening it's here and for us to be
Video examples
How "baby bonds" could...
to a neoliberal approach in which the market is presumed to be the solution for all our problems, economic or otherwise. As a result, the onus of social mobility has shifted on to the individual.
Video examples
Rebecca MacKinnon: Let's...
that's placing more onus on private intermediaries to police citizen behavior. So what we need to recognize is that if we want to have a citizen-centric Internet in the future,
Video examples
Militant atheism PIPE...
the onus is on you to say why. The onus is not on the rest of us to say why not. We, who are atheists, are also a-fairyists and a-teapotists.
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Tim Jackson
British Economist
We have stood up and said continuing growth in the Western world is unjust, inappropriate and potentially destabilising. Having said that, we understand why governments do it, so there is an onus on us to show there are other stories and to identify the institutional innovations you might need in order to arrive at this other place.

Quote examples
Ezekiel Emanuel
American Scientist
By establishing a social policy that keeps physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia illegal but recognizes exceptions, we would adopt the correct moral view: the onus of proving that everything had been tried and that the motivation and rationale were convincing would rest on those who wanted to end a life.

Quote examples
Johnny Galecki
American Actor
I was the sibling that kind of kept it all on a level when life at home got tough. I did it through comedy, sarcasm and distraction. All families are complicated, but my home life was glaringly uncomfortable much of the time, and it was me that took the onus.

Quote examples
Viggo Mortensen
American Actor
I think maybe because I do other things and they mean as much to me as movie acting, it takes the onus off me. It's not the end of the world if I can't get a film job, or if a movie doesn't turn out well - even though I don't like it when that happens.

Quote examples
Yoshihide Suga
Japanese Politician
First and foremost, the onus is on yourself to perform your own duties. If you can't, then it's your family or community's job to support you. If that still doesn't work out, then the government will take responsibility to protect you.

Quote examples
Jen Lancaster
American Author
Once I was unemployed and didn't have money, you can't just go to dinner. The onus is on you to learn to cook... I learned how important the right equipment is.

Quote examples
Azim Premji
Indian Businessman
The responsibility of philanthropy rests with us. The wealthier we are, the more powerful we get. We cannot put the entire onus on the government.

Quote examples
George Best
Irish Athlete
The onus is on the managers to send out an attacking formation and to tell their players to be bold.

Quote examples
Johnny Lever
Indian Actor
The onus is on us to produce movies that everyone in the family can watch.

Quote examples
J. J. Redick
American Athlete
As a professional athlete, the onus is on you to take responsibility.

Quote examples
Tim Jackson
British Economist
We have stood up and said continuing growth in the Western world is unjust, inappropriate and potentially destabilising. Having said that, we understand why governments do it, so there is an onus on us to show there are other stories and to identify the institutional innovations you might need in order to arrive at this other place.

Quote examples
Ezekiel Emanuel
American Scientist
By establishing a social policy that keeps physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia illegal but recognizes exceptions, we would adopt the correct moral view: the onus of proving that everything had been tried and that the motivation and rationale were convincing would rest on those who wanted to end a life.

Quote examples
Johnny Galecki
American Actor
I was the sibling that kind of kept it all on a level when life at home got tough. I did it through comedy, sarcasm and distraction. All families are complicated, but my home life was glaringly uncomfortable much of the time, and it was me that took the onus.

Quote examples
Viggo Mortensen
American Actor
I think maybe because I do other things and they mean as much to me as movie acting, it takes the onus off me. It's not the end of the world if I can't get a film job, or if a movie doesn't turn out well - even though I don't like it when that happens.

Quote examples
Yoshihide Suga
Japanese Politician
First and foremost, the onus is on yourself to perform your own duties. If you can't, then it's your family or community's job to support you. If that still doesn't work out, then the government will take responsibility to protect you.

Quote examples
Jen Lancaster
American Author
Once I was unemployed and didn't have money, you can't just go to dinner. The onus is on you to learn to cook... I learned how important the right equipment is.

Quote examples
Azim Premji
Indian Businessman
The responsibility of philanthropy rests with us. The wealthier we are, the more powerful we get. We cannot put the entire onus on the government.

Quote examples
George Best
Irish Athlete
The onus is on the managers to send out an attacking formation and to tell their players to be bold.

Quote examples
Johnny Lever
Indian Actor
The onus is on us to produce movies that everyone in the family can watch.

Quote examples
J. J. Redick
American Athlete
As a professional athlete, the onus is on you to take responsibility.

Example 1 of 10
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