due

1. adjective

1)

their fees were due

Syn:

owing, owed, payable; outstanding, overdue, unpaid, unsettled, undischarged, delinquent

2)

the chancellor's statement is due today

Syn:

expected, anticipated, scheduled for, awaited; required

3)

the respect due to a great artist

Syn:

deserved by, merited by, warranted by; appropriate to, fit for, fitting for, right for, proper to

4)

he drove without due care

Syn:

proper, correct, rightful, suitable, appropriate, apt; adequate, sufficient, enough, satisfactory, requisite

2. noun

1)

he attracts more criticism than is his due

Syn:

rightful treatment, fair treatment, just punishment; right, entitlement; just deserts; informal comeuppance

2)

members have paid their dues

Syn:

fee, subscription, charge; payment, contribution

3. adverb

he hiked due north

- due to

Syn:

directly, straight, exactly, precisely, dead

••

due to

The use of due to as a prepositional phrase meaning ‘because of,’ as in he had to retire due to an injury first appeared in print in 1897, and traditional grammarians have opposed this prepositional usage for a century on the grounds that it is a misuse of the adjectival phrase due to in the sense of 'attributable to, likely or expected to' (the train is due to arrive at 11:15), or 'payable to' ( render unto Caesar what is due to Caesar). Nevertheless, this prepositional usage is now widespread and common in all types of literature and must be regarded as standard English.

Avoid the wordy phrase due to the fact that and use because instead, especially in writing.