disobey
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disobey
1350–1400; Middle English disobeien < Old French desobeir, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + obeir to obey
Explanation
When you don't follow the rules — especially when they come from a teacher, parent, boss or other authority figure — you disobey. A first-grader disobeys his teacher when he can't help running in the halls of the school, and a dog will disobey your shouted commands if you haven't trained her very well. When you obey someone's rules, you follow them strictly. The verb disobey combines the Latin obedire, "serve, pay attention to, or listen," with dis, which here means "not." The original Latin version of disobey, inobedire, used in rather than dis.
Vocabulary lists containing disobey
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Disobey the rules and “in serious cases, sanctions may be imposed,” IOC guidance states.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2021
Disobey and the punishment is not a red or yellow card but a blue one that leads to soccer's version of purgatory: a five-minute trip to the sidelines for spiritual reflection.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2015
Disobey my injunctions, and I shall soon be called to mourn over the announcement that you have found an early grave, far from your native land, and among total strangers.
From St. Elmo by Evans, Augusta J. (Augusta Jane)
Disobey him, and you shall be scattered like the autumn leaves.
From The Story of Hiawatha Adapted from Longfellow by Stokes, Winston
"Disobey those orders and take in my card," said the Princess.
From Jennie Baxter, Journalist by Barr, Robert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
