Dictionary
onus
noun \ˈō-nəs\
: the responsibility for something
Full Definition of ONUS
1
2
[New Latin onus (probandi), literally, burden of proving] : burden of proof
See onus defined for English-language learners
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Examples of ONUS
- Consumers should be able to limit the use of information beyond what's essential to complete a transaction. There are two principal ways to do this: Web sites can permit them to “opt in,” or explicitly grant advance permission to share information. Or they can put the onus on consumers to “opt out” if they don't want information shared. —Consumer Reports, May 2000
- These laws got the regulatory ball rolling, but the onus was on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that additives were safe. —Amy Rosenbaum Clark, Vegetarian Times, March 1995
- It is not the scions of Yale and Harvard who apply to become FBI agents and construction workers and civil servants and cops who bear the onus of this reverse discrimination. —Thomas B. Edsall, Washington Post, 9-15 Mar. 1992
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First Known Use of ONUS
circa 1640
Related to ONUS
- Antonyms
- blamelessness, faultlessness, guiltlessness, innocence
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