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)
-
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:
Handing over her land to help power the AI boom was one thing Bare could not abide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Non-banks filled the gap, though they don’t have to abide rigorous capital, liquidity and stress tests like banks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Burnham, who replaced Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader and prime minister earlier this month, has vowed to abide by all the party's manifesto commitments published ahead of its general election win.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
The ban will officially come in from 00:01 BST on Saturday, but SEW has asked its customers to abide by the restrictions immediately.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The last I cannot abide because my mouth always gets stuck.
From "Bunnicula" by Deborah Howe and James Howe
The team abides by a "one strike and you're out" policy, where accounts found to be used in illegal activities will be promptly suspended.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
A federal monitor will be installed to ensure Live Nation abides by these terms over the next eight years.
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
UnitedHealth said Hemsley abides by all of its disclosure and conflict-of-interest policies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
UC has vigorously defended it admissions practices and said it abides by state and federal laws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2025
“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
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 company added that it abided with the law in Los Angeles County and “every jurisdiction where we operate.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
I knew that MI5 had not abided by NCND.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2025
And so Grief and Shame abided in adjoining rooms with the door shut between them, holding their pain in their arms instead of each other.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Their California property—a four-bedroom, four-bathroom mock Tudor abode in Pacific Palisades—was purchased by the duo for $2.55 million in 1990.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
The abode also includes a formal dining room, a dual-island kitchen accompanied by a casual eating area, a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, an office, and a gym.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
While the property boasts far more outdoor space than their Beverly Hills abode, for those seeking a private, secluded retreat in California, the couple’s former Golden State dwelling could well be the perfect place.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
It was widely reported at the time that the Van Der Beeks owned the Beverly Hills abode, which is now worth around $4 million, according to estimates.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Two minutes later he walked out again accompanied by Buddy Gabaldon, and they pulled away from the headquarters heading for Snuffy Ledoux’s humble adobe abode on the west side of town.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
In a response to questions for this article, Srinivasan wrote on X that the Instagram post was a hoax, and that “we respect Malaysia’s sovereignty and are abiding by all Malaysian law.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 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
In the abiding spirit of the Americans who believed in and built that promise, this year’s series on how to think about constitutional meaning is limited only by what you, the people, can imagine.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
Instead of abiding by existing trading hours for traditional derivatives exchanges, perpetual contracts trade 24 hours, seven days a week, with cash settlement occurring at regular intervals.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026
And I felt in this a cosmic injustice, a profound cruelty, which infused an abiding, irrepressible desire to unshackle my body and achieve the velocity of escape.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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.
