disobey
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have disobeyedperfect
-
has disobeyedperfect 3rd person singular
-
is disobeyingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been disobeyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
disobeyingparticiple
-
am disobeyingprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been disobeyingperfect progressive
-
are disobeyingprogressive
-
disobeyssingular 3rd person
Past
-
had disobeyedperfect
-
were disobeyingprogressive plural
-
had been disobeyingperfect progressive
-
was disobeyingprogressive singular
-
disobeyedsimple
-
disobeyedparticiple
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
Across So Many Seas
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"How to Train a Guide Dog" and "The Wonder Dog"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
“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
The law is clear that service members can disobey illegal orders.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
The duty to disobey manifestly illegal orders is a cornerstone of international law, with foundations in Nazi atrocities-related post-World War II trials like Nuremberg.
From Salon • Nov. 25, 2025
If that doesn’t work, your only remaining options are to follow your orders, resign, or disobey and make yourself a test case.
From Slate • Nov. 24, 2025
Miss Mortimer spoke in that stern headmistress tone that no Swanburne girl had ever found the will to disobey.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
