obey
verb /əˈbeɪ/
/əˈbeɪ/
[transitive, intransitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they obey | /əˈbeɪ/ /əˈbeɪ/ |
| he / she / it obeys | /əˈbeɪz/ /əˈbeɪz/ |
| past simple obeyed | /əˈbeɪd/ /əˈbeɪd/ |
| past participle obeyed | /əˈbeɪd/ /əˈbeɪd/ |
| -ing form obeying | /əˈbeɪɪŋ/ /əˈbeɪɪŋ/ |
- to do what you are told or expected to do
- obey something to obey a command/an order/rules/the law
- He was arrested when he failed to obey a police instruction to stop.
- He has turned into an efficient soldier, blindly obeying orders (= without questioning them).
- obey somebody He had always obeyed his parents without question.
- (figurative) I tried to run but my legs just wouldn't obey me.
- ‘Sit down!’ Meekly, she obeyed.
Extra ExamplesTopics War and conflictb2- He refuses to obey the rules.
- The driver refused to obey police instructions.
- The soldiers were punished for failing to obey orders.
- People have a moral duty to obey the law.
- She was used to having her orders instantly obeyed.
- She's being punished for failure to obey a court order.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- immediately
- instantly
- quickly
- …
- have to
- must
- refuse to
- …
- be only obeying orders
- a duty to obey
- an obligation to obey
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French obeir, from Latin oboedire, from ob- ‘in the direction of’ + audire ‘hear’.