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
Why are the people in charge of college football so beholden to the bowls?
—
Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
But wild beavers are not beholden to engineers’ plans.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
After the group broke with Kennedy and recommended annual COVID-19 vaccines for all young children, Kennedy blasted the association as beholden to corporate interests.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 24 Dec. 2025
But based on evidence that included Musk’s testimony during a 2022 trial, McCormick ruled the pay package had been crafted by a board that was too cozy and beholden to the hard-charging Musk.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Beholden to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beholden%20to. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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