liable

詳細解釋：

li.a.ble

adj.（形容詞）
Legally obligated; responsible:
有責任的，有義務的：按照法律負有義務的；有責任的：
例句：
liable for military service.See Synonyms at responsible
有服兵役的義務參見 responsible

At risk of or subject to experiencing or suffering something unpleasant. Used withto :
易受…影響的：易遭受或經歷一些不好的事情或風險。常與to 連用：
例句：
liable to criminal charges; liable to diabetes.
可能被提起刑事起訴的；易患糖尿病的

Often used with reference to an unfavorable outcome:
有可能的：通常用來指某種不好的結果：
例句：
In a depression banks are liable to fail.
在經濟蕭條期間，銀行很可能倒閉

來源：
Middle English
中古英文
probably from Old French lier [to bind]
可能源自 古法文 lier [使受約束]
from Latin lig3re * see leig-
源自 拉丁語 lig3re *參見 leig-

Liable, apt, and likely are often used interchangeably in constructions with following infinitives, as inJohn is liable to lose, John is apt to lose, and John is likely to lose. The three words are distinct in meaning.A widely repeated rule holdsthatliable should only be used if the subject would be adversely affected by the outcome expressed by the infinitive. The rule therefore permitsJohn is liable to fall out of his chair if he doesn`t sit up straight but notThe chair is liable to be slippery, though constructions of the latter type have long been common in reputable writing.Apt usually suggests that the subject has a natural tendency enhancing the probability of an outcome, and that the speaker is in some way apprehensive about the outcome.Thusapt is more naturally used in a sentence like The fuel pump is apt to give out at any minute than in Even the clearest instructions are apt to be misinterpreted by those idiots (since the instructions are not at fault)or inThe fuel pump is apt to give you no problems for the life of the car (since there is no reason that the speaker should regard such an outcome as unfortunate).Likely is more general than either liable or apt. It ascribes no particular property to the subject that enhances the probability of the outcome:whileJohn is apt to lose the election may suggest that the loss will result from something John does or fails to do, John is likely to lose the election does not. Nor does it suggest anything about the desirability of the outcome from the point of view of either the speaker or the subject.A football coach who saysWe are apt to win may be suspected of sarcasm,and one who saysWe are liable to win may be suspected of having bet on the opposition;onlyWe are likely to win is consistent with the expression of an unambivalent expectation of victory. See Usage Note at likely
Liable，apt 和 likely 在如下不定式結構中經常可以互換， 例如 John is liable to lose，John is apt to lose 和 John is likely to lose 。 這三個詞的意思是有區別的。一條公認的語法規則認為，只有當主語受不定式所表示的動作或結果的不利影響時，才使用liable 。 因此這條規則允許說如果約翰不坐直身子的話，他很容易從椅子上掉下來的 ， 但不允許說椅子可能很滑 ， 儘管在規範的寫作中，後一種類型的句型已經很普遍了。Apt 通常表示主語有增加某種結果的可能性的自然傾向， 而且說話者對此結果多少有些憂慮。因此，apt 用在句子 燃料泵可能隨時停止運轉 中，比用在 即使是最明了的指令也有可能被那些白痴誤解 中更自然 （因為錯的不是指令），也比用在燃料可能不會對你的車的使用壽命帶來什麼問題 中更合適 （因為說話者沒有理由認為這樣一個結果很不幸）。Likely 比 liable 或 apt 更具概括性。 它並不說明增加了一個結果的可能性的主語是否具有何特性：句子約翰在選舉中可能會失敗 可能暗示失敗歸因於約翰所做的或沒能做的某件事， 而句子約翰在選舉中有可能失敗 則沒有這種暗示。 另外，它也沒有關於說話者或主語是否喜歡某一結果的暗示。如果一位足球教練說We are apt to win ， 他可能帶有諷刺意味，但如果他說We are liable to win ， 他的意思是他認為他們可能會輸；只有說We are likely to win ，才明確表示有希望獲勝 參見 likely