obey
Americanverb (used with object)
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to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions of.
to obey one's parents.
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to comply with or follow (a command, restriction, wish, instruction, etc.).
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(of things) to respond conformably in action to.
The car obeyed the slightest touch of the steering wheel.
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to submit or conform in action to (some guiding principle, impulse, one's conscience, etc.).
verb (used without object)
verb
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to carry out (instructions or orders); comply with (demands)
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to behave or act in accordance with (one's feelings, whims, etc)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obey
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English obeien, from Old French obeir, from Latin oboedīre, equivalent to ob- ob- + audīre “to hear”; -oe- for expected -ū- is unclear
Explanation
When you obey, you follow someone's rules or instructions. In the old days, all of a monarchy's citizens were expected to obey the commands of their king or queen. You might be expected to obey the rules your strict parents lay down, or to obey the guidelines of a group or club you belong to. Religious Christians obey God, and soldiers obey the direct orders their commanding officers give them. To obey is to be obedient, and both words come from the Latin obedire, which literally means "listen to," but is used to mean "pay attention to."
Vocabulary lists containing obey
"Nadia the Willful"
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"Rachel the Clever"
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"The New England Primer"
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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.
When the next president swears an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” he undertakes both to obey the Constitution and to remove threats to it.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Instead of assuming a detailed theory from the start, scientists begin with a few broad principles they believe nature must obey and then determine what laws naturally emerge.
From Science Daily • May 19, 2026
He then threatened their careers and pensions if they did not obey.
From Salon • May 3, 2026
Beginning July 1, California law enforcement agencies may issue notices of AV noncompliance when an autonomous vehicle doesn’t obey traffic laws.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
The cities of Germany are completely independent, they control little surrounding territory, they obey the emperor when they please, and they fear neither him nor any other nearby power.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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.
