abide
Americanverb (used without object)
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abides,
present (3rd person singular)
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abode,
past participle, past
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abided,
past participle, past
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abiding
present participle
verb (used with object)
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abides,
present (3rd person singular)
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abode,
past participle, past
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abided,
past participle, past
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abiding
present participle
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to put up with; tolerate; stand.
I can't abide dishonesty!
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to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting.
to abide a vigorous onslaught.
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to wait for; await.
to abide the coming of the Lord.
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to accept without opposition or question.
to abide the verdict of the judges.
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to pay the price or penalty of; suffer for.
verb phrase
verb
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(tr) to tolerate; put up with
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(tr) to accept or submit to; suffer
to abide the court's decision
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to comply (with)
to abide by the decision
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to remain faithful (to)
to abide by your promise
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(intr) to remain or continue
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archaic (intr) to dwell
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archaic (tr) to await in expectation
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archaic (tr) to withstand or sustain; endure
to abide the onslaught
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abidesimple
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abidessimple
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have abidedperfect
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have abodeperfect
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has abidedperfect
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has abodeperfect
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am abidingprogressive
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are abidingprogressive
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is abidingprogressive
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have been abidingperfect progressive
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has been abidingperfect progressive
Past
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abidedsimple
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abodesimple
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had abidedperfect
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had abodeperfect
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was abidingprogressive
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were abidingprogressive
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had been abidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abide
First recorded before 1000; Middle English abiden, Old English ābīdan; cognate with Old High German irbītan “to await,” Gothic usbeisns “expectation, patience”; equivalent to a- 3 + bide
Explanation
Abide means "to be able to live with or put up with." If you can't abide with something, it means you can't stand it. If you can abide it, it means you can live with it. An old definition of abide is "to live" — think of abode, as in "dwelling." If you abide by the rules, it means you live with them, and you will follow them. If you can't abide your sister's shrill violin playing, it means you can't live with it, you can't be in the house when she's practicing. You abide something you don't like, like your teacher's long stories about math. It's not a pleasant experience, but what choice do you have?
Vocabulary lists containing abide
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 7–11
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Antigone
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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.
See Examples For:
To minimize arm injuries, Little League instituted age-specific pitch-count caps and mandatory rest periods 20 years ago, but not all travel clubs abide by the rules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Each hotel, or chain, will have its own security policy which staff should abide by.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Candidates would have to abide by certain expenditure limits and follow strict criteria.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The long answer is that you must abide by the “deemed-filing rule.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
It is a mark of evil things that came in the Great Darkness that they cannot abide the Sun; but Saruman’s Orcs can endure it, even if they hate it.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
She said the league abides by its contract but that the city hadn’t been fair with the league.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
She wrote to Burnham: "The Conservatives are happy to work with you and other parties on reforming social care. But we will only support a solution that abides by two core principles."
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Time on the Western Isles passes like “a slow tide,” Mr. Stuart writes, and the novel abides by that erosive pace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Nobody’s perfect, and the longer a piece of art abides, the more likely it is that it’ll start to suck.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2026
“We have read the scroll, and it is indeed an invitation. It seems that the Fairy Queen, at least, still abides by the laws of our treaty.”
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
"For years, Europeans aided and abided flagrant ethical flaws in the international football federation," said Bruen, head of the Global Situation Room strategic communications firm.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
He told CBS News on Monday that Iran "could have access" to a $300bn reconstruction fund if it abided by the terms of its deal with the US.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
It requires those submitting trophy kills to sign an affidavit swearing they have abided by club technology and other restrictions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
The former Spanish colony was annexed by the U.S. in 1898 and has abided by the U.S.
From Salon ● Jan. 9, 2025
When I was first banned I abided by the rules and regulations of my persecutors.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
However, while she’s selling what is perhaps her most famous home, Kris isn’t leaving the neighborhood altogether, having purchased two other homes in Hidden Hills since purchasing her for-sale abode.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Speaking about her initial decision to sell the expansive 8,000-square-foot abode, Kris told The New York Times that she believes the time has come for another family to make their own memories within its walls.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said a 37-year-old man of no fixed abode had been arrested after a "boat that had an emergency responder on board" was damaged in the Channel.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Their main residence is a stunning Pacific Palisades abode, which has served as their home since 1985.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
It was a beautiful sight to behold, the struggle of the carp to regain his abode before the river dried to a trickle and trapped him in strange pools of water.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
That title is something of a metaphor, about connecting to a deep, abiding spirituality accessible to us all.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
Regardless of what station they work for, reporters and pilots are constantly helping each other, abiding by unspoken rules to keep each other safe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Nora resides among an assortment of odd-duck tenants, feeding daily breakfast to a punctual seagull she names Father Conway and finding secular outlets for her abiding curiosity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
"We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules," she said on social media.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
When 1 am once again whole, I shall visit those factory people; I have deep and abiding convictions concerning social action.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
