adj.
- expected at, planned for, or required by a certain time.
▸(of a person) owed or deserving (something).
▸required as a legal or moral obligation.
- proper; appropriate.
n.
-
(one's due/dues)
one's right.
-
(dues)
fees.
adv.
(with reference to a point of the compass) directly:
head due south.
Phrase
- due to
- caused by.
- because of.
- give someone their due
be fair to someone. - in due course
at the appropriate time. - pay one's dues
fulfil one's obligations.
Usage
Some people regard due to in the sense ‘because of’ as incorrect on the grounds that due is an adjective and should not be used in a prepositional phrase; owing to is often recommended as a better alternative. However, this use of due to is now very common in all types of literature and is regarded as part of standard English.
Etymology
ME: from OFr. deu ‘owed’, based on L. debitus ‘owed’, from debere ‘owe’.