phrasal verb / verb phrase · neutral
be responsible for
UK/bi rɪˈspɒnsəbəl fɔː/US/bi rɪˈspɑːnsəbəl fɔːr/be re·SPON·si·ble·FOR
to have a duty for something or to be the cause of something
Examples
“The manager is responsible for recruiting new staff.”
“Plastic waste is largely responsible for ocean pollution.”
“Students are responsible for submitting assignments on time.”
Band 8 sentence
“Policymakers must acknowledge how industrial practices are responsible for large-scale environmental degradation and act accordingly.”
Collocations
- be responsible for + noun/verb-ing
- hold someone responsible for
Word family
Common mistakes
He is responsible to the mistake.→He is responsible for the mistake.
They responsible for managing the team.→They are responsible for managing the team.
Say it for a higher band
5cause→6lead to→7+be responsible for
Synonyms
cause
Easily confused
responsible to
“The director is responsible to the board of trustees.”
be in charge of
“She is in charge of the marketing department.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Cause & effect
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