disobey
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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disobeys,
present (3rd person singular)
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disobeyed,
past participle, past
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disobeying
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disobeysimple
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disobeyssimple
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have disobeyedperfect
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has disobeyedperfect
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am disobeyingprogressive
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are disobeyingprogressive
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is disobeyingprogressive
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have been disobeyingperfect progressive
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has been disobeyingperfect progressive
Past
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disobeyedsimple
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had disobeyedperfect
-
was disobeyingprogressive
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were disobeyingprogressive
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had been disobeyingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
In lieu of suspensions, administrators invite offenders to reflect in a soothing place on the feelings and trauma that led them, say, to hit another student or disobey a teacher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
In the meantime, here’s one last, basic fact that appears to be misunderstood: The First Amendment doesn’t give journalists a right to disobey laws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026
He and his representatives are now threatening Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Iran and Greenland, with Venezuela serving as an object lesson of what may happen if a country dares to disobey his wishes.
From Salon ● Jan. 6, 2026
“You can’t put on the screen that it’s right for a young girl to disobey her father,” Nava recalled Quintanilla saying.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2025
“Good. We have to reduce your bile. If the mother has too much bile, the child will lack vigor and disobey his parents.”
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
She goes against his precepts and disobeys his orders — they appear as onscreen italic titles — and he gets stroppy, as a father would.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
Black hair disobeys temporality as surely as it does gravity ...
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2022
While each service has developed its own process, all are following existing rules for when a service member disobeys a lawful order.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2021
The titular character, a young sea monster, disobeys his parents and ventures above the surface, where he forms a close relationship with fellow sea monster Alberto.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2021
Call her name, I tell my mouth, but it, too, disobeys.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
"If I had disobeyed my mother and gone to New York, what might have happened to me?" asks Gláucia Fekete.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
"Irancell disobeyed the orders of the decision-making institutions in implementing the announced policies regarding the restriction of internet access in crisis situations," the agency said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026
Under the 2024 Manual for Courts-Martial, “an order requiring the performance of a military duty or act may be inferred to be lawful, and it is disobeyed at the peril of the subordinate.”
From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025
She knew the only way they could be together is if she disobeyed her father, but in a sense, it would be healing the whole family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2025
He was generous to those who served him well—merciless to those who fell short, or disobeyed.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
Back when Hal was still a novelty to the public, we see 10-year-old John disobeying his father’s TV ban to watch the hero’s first-ever interview on “60 Minutes.”
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Separating from the military takes months, and will almost certainly be complicated by a red flag in one’s record for disobeying orders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
“We believe, however, that given the high societal importance of this topic, it was crucial to conduct a study of this kind, even if it meant disobeying the rules.”
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2025
The developer filed suit against No Canyon Hills on Dec. 10, accusing group members of sneaking onto the property and secretly installing cameras and other surveillance equipment, disobeying posted “No Trespassing” signs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2024
Write the inmate a ticket for disobeying a direct order?
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
