VocabauraVOCABAURA

due

adjective · noun · adverb

Simple meaning

Owed and payable immediately or on demand.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

doo
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈdu

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Owed and payable immediately or on demand

  2. Owed or owing.

  3. Owing; ascribable, as to a cause.

  4. Having reached the expected, scheduled, or natural time.

  5. Appropriate.

  6. On a direct bearing, especially for the four points of the compass.

noun

  1. That which is deserved or owed

  2. Deserved acknowledgment.

  3. Right; just title or claim.

  4. in the plural

    A membership fee.

adverb

  1. used with compass directions

    Directly or exactly; straight

  2. used with compass directions

    Directly; exactly.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Owed and payable immediately or on demand

Used this way, due is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use due

  • “The society dropped him for non-payment of dues.”noun

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “due”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

due processdue coursedue datedue diligenceprobably duelargely duepartly duemainly due

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • due carenounCompound term

    The care that a reasonable man would exercise under the circumstances.

  • due datenounCompound term

    The date on which an obligation must be repaid.

  • due eastnounCompound term

    The cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees.

  • due northnounCompound term

    The cardinal compass point that is at 0 or 360 degrees.

  • due processnounCompound term

    The administration of justice according to established rules and principles.

  • due process of lawnounCompound term

    The administration of justice according to established rules and principles.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Antonyms

Sense: owed and payable immediately or on demand

unduenot due

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “due” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.