obey

verb

ō-ˈbā How to pronounce obey (audio)
ə-
obeyed; obeying
Synonyms of obeynext

transitive verb

1
: to follow the commands or guidance of
He always obeys his parents.
2
: to conform to or comply with
obey an order
Falling objects obey the laws of physics.

intransitive verb

: to behave obediently
The dog does not always obey.
obeyer noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of obey in a Sentence

His dog has learned to obey several commands. He always obeys his parents. The children must obey the rules. The children must learn to obey.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Pence did an important thing, obeying the Constitution rather than Trump. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 Nov. 2024 Coy said that Hill only partially obeyed his commands and was hiding his right hand. —CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024 The far-right group, aimed at current and former law enforcement officers and military, had as its central premise a list of orders that such personnel would never obey. —Will Carless, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024 Children, in turn, were obliged to honor and obey their parents who cared for them. —Jeanette Tran, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for obey 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English obeien, borrowed from Anglo-French obeir, going back to Latin oboedīre, from ob- "toward, in the direction of" + -oedīre, probably unstressed form (with -oe- of uncertain origin) of audīre "to hear" — more at ob-, audible entry 1

Note: The -oe- in oboedīre is peculiar both because it is not the expected result of -au- in a non-initial syllable (the regular outcome is -ū-) and because -oe- is in any case rare non-initially. Various attempts have been made to account for the irregularity. Reflecting earlier suggestions, Michiel de Vaan hypothesizes pre-Latin *ób-awizdijō > *obowizdijō > *oboizdijō (rounding of a before w, which is then lost, prior to the weakening of a to u) > oboediō (with z blocking monophthongization of -oi- to -ū- before succumbing to cluster reduction) (see Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages, Brill, 2008). As an alternative to assumptions of questionable phonetic change, it has also been suggested that a base other than audīre is at issue (Michael Weiss suggests *ob-bhoi̯diō, from a nominal derivative of the base of fīdere "to trust" [see faith entry 1]; see Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, 2nd edition, Ann Arbor, 2020, p. 130).

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of obey was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near obey

obesogenic

obey

obeyable

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Obey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obey. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

obey

verb
ō-ˈbā How to pronounce obey (audio)
ə-
obeyed; obeying
1
a
: to follow the commands or guidance of
obeyed her parents
b
: to be obedient
trained the dog to obey
2
: to act in agreement with : carry out
obey an order
obey the rules

More from Merriam-Webster on obey

Nglish: Translation of obey for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of obey for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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