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
-
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:
“The constitutional protections in our military structures depend on the idea that there are humans who would, we hope, disobey illegal orders. With fully autonomous weapons we don’t necessarily have those protections.”
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2026
Most commercial seafaring vessels, even those carrying illicit products, are staffed by crews with little incentive to disobey the orders of the U.S. armed forces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
“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
I was also briefed multiple times on my duty to disobey unlawful orders.
From Slate ● Dec. 3, 2025
I never wanted to disobey them or cause them distress.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
Black hair disobeys temporality as surely as it does gravity ...
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2022
She disobeys her grandfather’s warnings by befriending the white brother and sister across the street, and a complex relationship forms as she both envies and emulates their freedom.
From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 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
I’m sure he knew I disobeyed him when I went out by myself.
From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli
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
Alawieh’s lawyers accused the government of “willfully” disobeying the court’s order, prompting Sorokin to demand an explanation.
From Slate ● Mar. 17, 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
I peddled faster, trying to drive out the knowledge that I was disobeying my father.
From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine
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.
