beholden

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The military said it refused to be beholden to a corporation and pushed back, labeling Anthropic a threat akin to an enemy foreign power and blocking it from some government contracts.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

"Because I feel like if I've met someone and you have some sort of relationship with them, then you feel beholden in a way," he said, adding it creates a "different level of responsibility".

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

Writers are beholden to truth rather than any particular narrative form, and the deconstructive and interior turns in fiction have yielded great works.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

Chu is beholden to those pesky “Wizard of Oz” tie-ins at every turn, and Erivo and Grande get few chances to utilize their lovely chemistry.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2025

If he was ordained, he would defy the edict, invoking the tenth commandment, which clearly said he was beholden to no laws beyond the ten—including any edicts levied by the Scythedom.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman