Meanings
due1
comparative more due · superlative most due
- Owed or owing.
He is due four weeks of back pay.
3 more examples
The amount due is just three quid.
The due bills total nearly seven thousand dollars.
He can wait for the amount due him.
Synonyms: needed, owing, to be made, required
- Appropriate.
With all due respect, you're wrong about that.
1 more example
With dirges due, in sad array, / Slow through the churchway path we saw him borne.
1750 June 12 (date written; published 1751), T[homas] Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, in Designs by Mr. R[ichard] Bentley, for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], published 1753, →OCLC - Scheduled; expected.
When is your baby due?
3 more examples
Rain is due this afternoon.
The train is due in five minutes.
As he passed though the station, he slowed to yell to the signalman, Frank 'Sailor' Bridges: "Sailor - have you anything between here and Fordham? Where's the mail?" Gimbert knew the mail train was due, and he didn't want to endanger another train with his burning bomb wagon.
2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 42 - Having reached the expected, scheduled, or natural time.
The baby is just about due.
1 more example
The huge square box, parquet-floored and high-ceilinged, had been arranged to display a suite of bedroom furniture designed and made in the halcyon days of the last quarter of the nineteenth century, when modish taste was just due to go clean out of fashion for the best part of the next hundred years.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLCSynonyms: expected
- Owing; ascribable, as to a cause.
The dangerously low water table is due to rapidly growing pumping.
2 more examples
the milky aspect be due to a confusion of small stars
1852, James David Forbes, “Dissertation on the Progress of Mathematical and Physical Science”, in Encyclopædia BritannicaMother[…]considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due not to its distinction, but to the fact that it was an inner Babylon of prodigality and whoredom, from which every Kensingtonian held aloof, except on the conventional tip-and-run excursions in pursuit of shopping, tea and theatres.
1921, Ben Travers, chapter 2, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC - On a direct bearing, especially for the four points of the compass.
The town is 5 miles due North of the bridge.
plural dues
- Deserved acknowledgment.
Give him his due – he is a good actor.
2 more examples
Yes, the tide will surely turn, and meanwhile may one who is proud to call himself a partisan, invite whomever may feel disposed to bid the "T14s" adieux, to pause before giving them valediction and accord to them the respect that is assuredly their due.
1952 January, Henry Maxwell, “Farewell to the "T14s"”, in Railway Magazine, page 57Chelsea, to give them their due, did start to cut out the defensive lapses as the game went on but they needed to because their opponents were throwing everything at them in those stages and, if anything, seemed encouraged by the message that Mourinho’s Rémy-Cahill switch sent out.
2015 January 31, Daniel Taylor, “David Silva seizes point for Manchester City as Chelsea are checked”, in The Guardian (London)Synonyms: credit
- in pluralA membership fee.
- That which is owed; debt; that which belongs or may be claimed as a right; whatever custom, law, or morality requires to be done, duty.
He will give the devil his due.
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]2 more examples
Chanted from an ill-used race of men that cleave the soil, / Sow the seed, and reap the harvest with enduring toil, / Storing yearly little dues of wheat, and wine and oil; […]
1842, Alfred Tennyson, “The Lotos-Eaters”, in Poems. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, stanza 8, page 184For I am but an earthly Muse, And owning but a little art To lull with song an aching heart, And render human love his dues; […]
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXVII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 57 - Right; just title or claim.
The key of this infernal pit by due […] I keep.
1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC
Due2
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHaving reached the expected, scheduled, or natural time.
nounDeserved acknowledgment.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveowed and payable immediately or on demand
adjectivescheduled to arrive
adjectivesuitable to or expected in the circumstances
adjectivecapable of being assigned or credited to
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindēbēre“to owe”
- Old Frenchdeü“due”
- Middle Englishdewe
- Englishdue
From Middle English dewe, dew, due, from Old French deü (“due”), past participle of devoir (“to owe”), from Latin dēbēre (“to owe”), from dē- (“from”) + habeō (“to have”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian дължим, право
- дължим (dălžim)1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- право (pravo)used with compass directions: directly or exactly
- дължимо (dălžimo)deserved acknowledgement
- полагаемо (polagaemo)deserved acknowledgement
Czech splatný, příslušný
- splatný1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- příslušný2. appropriate
- zasloužený2. appropriate
- náležitý2. appropriate
- mající nastat3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- nastávající3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- plánovaný3. of public transport: supposed to arrive at the stated time
- očekávaný3. of public transport: supposed to arrive at the stated time
- dovršený4. having reached the expected, scheduled, or natural time
- nastalý4. having reached the expected, scheduled, or natural time
- očekávaný4. of a baby: expected to be born at the stated time
- v očekávání4. of a pregnant woman: due to give birth on the stated date
- rovnouused with compass directions: directly or exactly
- přímoused with compass directions: directly or exactly
- to zasloužené (vše)deserved acknowledgement
Danish skyldig, forfalden
- skyldig1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- forfalden1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- stikused with compass directions: directly or exactly
Esperanto ŝuldata, taŭga
- ŝuldata1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- taŭga2. appropriate
Finnish erääntyvä, erääntynyt
- erääntyvä1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- erääntynyt1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- maksettava1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- asiaankuuluva2. appropriate
- asianmukainen2. appropriate
- odotettavissa3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- aikataulun mukaan3. of public transport: supposed to arrive at the stated time
- tulollaan4. having reached the expected, scheduled, or natural time
- myöhässä4. having reached the expected, scheduled, or natural time
- see laskettu aika4. of a baby: expected to be born at the stated time
- see laskettu aika4. of a pregnant woman: due to give birth on the stated date
- suoraanused with compass directions: directly or exactly
- tunnustusdeserved acknowledgement
French dû, plein
- dû1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- plein6. On a direct bearing, especially for the four points of the compass
German fällig, fällig
- fällig1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- fällig3. of an event: scheduled, expected
Hindi देय
- देय (dey)1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
Hungarian jogosult, járó
- jogosult1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- járó1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- fizetendő1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- jogos2. appropriate
- helyénvaló2. appropriate
- várható3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- esedékes3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- időszerű3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- várható3. of public transport: supposed to arrive at the stated time
- várható4. of a baby: expected to be born at the stated time
- ki van írva4. of a pregnant woman: due to give birth on the stated date
Norwegian Bokmål medlemsavgift
- medlemsavgiftmembership fees
Polish należny, spodziewany
- należny1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- spodziewany3. of an event: scheduled, expected
Portuguese devido, devido
- devido1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- devido2. appropriate
- exatamenteused with compass directions: directly or exactly
- quotamembership fees
- cotamembership fees
Russian подлежа́щий опла́те, причита́ющийся
- подлежа́щий опла́те (podležáščij opláte)1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- причита́ющийся (pričitájuščijsja)1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- подоба́ющий (podobájuščij)2. appropriate
- надлежа́щий (nadležáščij)2. appropriate
- ожида́емый (ožidájemyj)3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- пря́мо (prjámo)used with compass directions: directly or exactly
- то́чно (tóčno)used with compass directions: directly or exactly
- до́лжное (dólžnoje)deserved acknowledgement
Scottish Gaelic inbheach, inbheach
- inbheach1. owed or owing, to be paid by the stated time
- inbheach3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- còirdeserved acknowledgement
Spanish debido, que es para
- debido2. appropriate
- que es para3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- que está para3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- que sale de cuenta (s)4. of a pregnant woman: due to give birth on the stated date
- que tiene fecha para4. of a pregnant woman: due to give birth on the stated date
- fuera de cuenta (s) (already)4. of a pregnant woman: due to give birth on the stated date
- justo a/haciaused with compass directions: directly or exactly
- méritodeserved acknowledgement
Swedish rakt
- raktused with compass directions: directly or exactly
Tagalog hanggan, pa-
- hanggan3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- pa-used with compass directions: directly or exactly
Turkish aidat
- aidatmembership fees
Ukrainian очі́куванний, то́чно
- очі́куванний (očíkuvannyj)3. of an event: scheduled, expected
- то́чно (tóčno)used with compass directions: directly or exactly
- нале́жне (naléžne)deserved acknowledgement
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with due
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
due. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/due
“due.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/due. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “due,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/due.
Source: due on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.