assign liability for

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "assign liability for" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in legal or formal contexts when discussing the responsibility for a particular obligation or debt. Example: "The contract clearly states that the company will assign liability for any damages incurred during the project."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

It is time to legally assign liability for breakdowns in online security to those best able to manage the risks, which will lead to shifting most of those risks to insurers.

The New York Times

She and her team crafted new legislation to assign liability for companies that created toxic waste and re-energized cleanup efforts.

Forbes

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Assigning liability for the disaster has proved more difficult.

Independent

Unfortunately, regulators (and the public) don't typically take best intentions into account when assigning liability for ethical violations.

TechCrunch

From there they assign liability.

Huffington Post

"Neighbor assigns liability in the same way as a self-storage facility," the team says.

TechCrunch

The way I see it, signing your name to any document ultimately assigns liability.

Huffington Post

The jury assigned her 10percentt of the liability for her smoking and disease, and Philip Morris 90percentt.

The New York Times

This method assumes that a dog can be assigned to a specific disease class (unaffected/affected) when an underlying, unobservable risk (or liability) for disease exceeds a threshold of τ = 0.

BMC Veterinary Research

Should national governments retain liability for permanence then project-level activities that have individually-assigned REDD+ carbon rights may have a higher risk of carbon reversal than policies where rights are assigned to the state.

Ecological Economics

Germany rejects liability for others.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "assign liability for", ensure the context clearly defines the scope and conditions under which liability is being assigned. This is particularly important in legal and contractual settings to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid assuming that "assign liability for" automatically covers all potential consequences. Clearly specify what damages or breaches the assigned liability encompasses to prevent disputes arising from unforeseen events.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "assign liability for" functions as a verb phrase construction where 'assign' acts as a transitive verb, 'liability' serves as its direct object, and 'for' introduces the object of the preposition, specifying what the liability pertains to. Ludwig indicates the expression is grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Science

33%

Wiki

14%

Less common in

Formal & Business

9%

Academia

5%

Reference

4%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "assign liability for" is a grammatically correct and frequently used phrase that serves to attribute legal or formal responsibility. As Ludwig AI confirms, its applications are most commonly found in news, science, and legal contexts. When using this phrase, clarity is paramount to ensure the scope of liability is well-defined. Alternatives like "allocate responsibility for" or "designate accountability for" can provide nuanced alternatives, although "assign liability for" remains a direct and widely accepted way to express the attribution of responsibility.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

allocate responsibility for

Replaces "assign liability" with "allocate responsibility", emphasizing the distribution of accountability.

attribute culpability to

Substitutes "liability" with "culpability", focusing on assigning blame or fault.

designate accountability for

Replaces "assign liability" with "designate accountability", highlighting the act of specifying who is answerable.

impute responsibility for

Uses "impute" to suggest assigning responsibility based on inference or assumption.

place the onus on

Replaces the entire phrase, indicating the act of putting a burden or obligation on someone.

hold liable for

Focuses on the consequence of assigning liability, which is holding someone responsible.

pin the blame on

An idiomatic alternative that signifies assigning blame or fault.

ascribe responsibility to

Uses "ascribe" to mean assigning responsibility based on a particular cause or origin.

fix responsibility upon

Indicates firmly assigning responsibility to a specific entity.

charge with responsibility for

Emphasizes the formal assignment of responsibility for a particular task or outcome.

FAQs

How do you use "assign liability for" in a legal context?

In legal contexts, "assign liability for" is used to determine who is legally responsible for damages, debts, or obligations. For example, a contract might "allocate responsibility for" specific breaches to one party.

What's a less formal way to say "assign liability for"?

In less formal contexts, you could use phrases like "hold accountable for" or "place the blame on", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Which is correct: "assign liability to" or "assign liability for"?

While both can be used, "assign liability for" is generally preferred when discussing responsibility for something specific (e.g., damages or a breach). "Assign liability to" is more appropriate when indicating the entity to whom the liability is assigned. The nuance is subtle but important for clarity.

What are the implications of assigning liability in a contract?

Assigning liability in a contract means that one party agrees to be responsible for certain risks or obligations. This can significantly affect each party's potential financial exposure and legal responsibilities, so it's important to have legal counsel review the contract.