due
/dju:/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Owed as a debt or as a right: Something that is due is owed to someone, either as a payment or as something deserved.
- Expected or scheduled to arrive or happen: Something that is due is planned or required to happen at a specific time.
- Appropriate or proper in the circumstances: Due can describe something that is fitting, adequate, or deserved.
- Attributable to; caused by: Used to indicate the cause or reason for something.
Adverb:
- Directly; exactly: Used to indicate a precise direction.
Noun:
- Something that is owed or deserved: A due is a payment or a right that someone is entitled to receive.
- (plural, dues) Regular payments: Dues are fees paid regularly for membership in an organization.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- Respect is due to all people. (All people deserve to be treated with respect.)
- The train is due at 3 PM. (The train is scheduled to arrive at 3 PM.)
- The bill is due on the first of the month. (The payment for the bill must be made on the first day of the month.)
- The delay was due to bad weather. (The cause of the delay was bad weather.)
Adverb:
- Walk due east for two miles. (Walk directly east for two miles.)
Noun:
- Give him his due; he worked very hard. (Acknowledge what he deserves; he worked very hard.)
- He paid his union dues. (He paid his regular membership fees to the union.)
Advanced Usage
- "in due course": at the appropriate or expected time; eventually.
- You will receive a response in due course. (You will get a reply when the time is right.)
- "with (all) due respect": a polite formula used to preface a statement that may disagree with or criticize someone.
- With all due respect, I must disagree with your conclusion. (I say this respectfully, but I do not agree.)
- "to give someone their due": to acknowledge what someone deserves, often praise or credit.
- I don't like him, but to give him his due, he's an excellent manager. (To be fair to him, he manages very well.)
- "to fall due / become due": (of a payment) to reach its scheduled date for payment.
- The loan repayment falls due next week. (The loan must be repaid next week.)
Variants and Related Words
- Overdue (adj): Not having arrived, happened, or been done by the expected time.
- The library book is overdue. (The book should have been returned already.)
- Duly (adv): In accordance with what is required or appropriate; properly or as expected.
- The documents were duly signed. (The documents were properly signed.)
Synonyms
- Adjective (owed): Owing, payable, outstanding.
- Adjective (expected): Scheduled, anticipated, expected.
- Adjective (appropriate): Proper, fitting, adequate, deserved.
- Noun (something owed): Right, entitlement, desert.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- "due to" (as a preposition): Because of; caused by. (Note: Traditionally, "due" is an adjective, so purists prefer "owing to" to introduce adverbial phrases. However, "due to" is widely accepted in modern usage.)
- The game was canceled due to rain. (The game was canceled because of the rain.)
- "pay one's dues": To earn a right or position through hard work, experience, or suffering.
- She paid her dues working long hours before becoming a partner. (She worked very hard to earn her promotion.)
Adjective
- capable of being assigned or credited to
- punctuation errors ascribable to careless proofreading
- the cancellation of the concert was due to the rain
- the oversight was not imputable to him
- suitable to or expected in the circumstances
- all due respect
- due cause to honor them
- a long due promotion
- in due course
- due esteem
- exercising due care
- scheduled to arrive
- the train is due in 15 minutes
- owed and payable immediately or on demand
- payment is due
Adverb
- directly or exactly; straight
- went due North
Noun
- a payment that is due (e.g., as the price of membership)
- the society dropped him for non-payment of dues
- that which is deserved or owed
- give the devil his due