beholden to
idiom
formal
: owing a favor or gift to (someone) : having obligations to (someone)
politicians who are beholden to special interest groups
She works for herself, and so is beholden to no one.
Examples of beholden to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By now, though, it’s become clear that the president is beholden to associates who take money to lobby for ByteDance, which is deeply tied to Beijing’s military-industrial complex.
—
The Editors, National Review, 5 Apr. 2025
Trump’s Justice Department secured the dismissal of Adams’ historic corruption indictment earlier this week in a manner that has left many to believe the mayor’s beholden to the president’s agenda.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2025
Nearly every war film knows that war is Hell, but far fewer understand that Hell is still beholden to rules and regulations, including the laws of time and physics.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025
The highly unusual move set off a firestorm of criticism and resignations, while throwing Adams’ mayoralty in doubt, with many political figures in New York questioning whether Adams was now beholden to the Trump administration.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beholden to
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
The Editors, National Review, 5 Apr. 2025
Trump’s Justice Department secured the dismissal of Adams’ historic corruption indictment earlier this week in a manner that has left many to believe the mayor’s beholden to the president’s agenda.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2025
Nearly every war film knows that war is Hell, but far fewer understand that Hell is still beholden to rules and regulations, including the laws of time and physics.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025
The highly unusual move set off a firestorm of criticism and resignations, while throwing Adams’ mayoralty in doubt, with many political figures in New York questioning whether Adams was now beholden to the Trump administration.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beholden to
Cite this Entry
“Beholden to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beholden%20to. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share