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the buck stops here

responsibility lies with me

In Headline Expressions

In more detail

(idiom) a saying meaning that you accept complete responsibility for something and will not try to pass the blame to someone else

Examples

• The manager said the buck stops here—she would take full responsibility for the project's failure.

How to use the buck stops here

This idiom is used to declare personal accountability and refusal to deflect responsibility onto others, typically in situations of leadership or decision-making. It carries a tone of finality and resolve, often delivered as a firm statement rather than a tentative claim. The phrase is most common in formal or semi-formal contexts such as business, politics, or management.

Register: formal

Common phrases

• the buck stops here with me
• the buck stops here now
• saying the buck stops here
• making clear the buck stops here
• the buck stops here regarding
• the buck stops here on this issue

Synonyms

the responsibility lies with me · I take full responsibility · I am accountable · I accept the blame · it ends with me

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use it to mean that something has come to an end or been resolved, confusing the sense of finality (no passing it along) with general conclusion.

Nearby in Headline Expressions

a wild card, dead in the water, an uphill battle, rock the boat, a shot across the bow, a band-aid solution

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained