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Synonyms

obey

American

[oh-bay] / oʊˈbeɪ /

verb (used with object)

to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions of.

to obey one's parents.
to comply with or follow (a command, restriction, wish, instruction, etc.).
(of things) to respond conformably in action to.

The car obeyed the slightest touch of the steering wheel.
to submit or conform in action to (some guiding principle, impulse, one's conscience, etc.).

verb (used without object)

to be obedient.

to agree to obey.

obey British

/ əˈbeɪ /

verb

to carry out (instructions or orders); comply with (demands)
to behave or act in accordance with (one's feelings, whims, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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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."

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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:

obey obeys obeyed obeying

Astronomers have long suspected that black holes obey the same basic physical rules even when their masses differ enormously.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

A UK government spokesperson declined to comment, citing the ongoing US investigation, but said Britain expected foreign diplomats to obey the law.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

But Buddy doesn’t like it when the children don’t obey him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

They want safe streets and drivers of all vehicles to obey the law or pay a price.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Darkclaw and Fangburn scurried off to obey the command.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

The gravel bucket obeys that law, since shaking creates heat, which is disordered energy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

He added that he "obeys the government and will pay it" as he didn't know the repayment was not legally required.

From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2025

Min-sung obeys Young-tak to ensure access to resources, but at home Myung-hwa can’t hide her disappointment in him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2023

Quantum mechanics background: All the matter in the universe obeys the laws of quantum theory, but we only really observe quantum behaviour at the scale of atoms and molecules.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 4, 2023

When Ruby obeys Mack, he gives her a cube of sugar or a bit of dried apple.

From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate

In the end, Grier instructed the jury that the Fugitive Slave Law should be obeyed but that individual resistance did not amount to treason.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

But it was PSG who obeyed the message, delivering a third-minute hammer blow when Georgian genius Khvicha Kvaratskhelia raced down the wing before setting up Ousmane Dembele to lash a finish high past Manuel Neuer.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

Military law establishes a strong presumption that military orders are lawful and must be obeyed.

From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025

Staff informed the agents that they did not have permission to enter the school and ordered them to leave the area, which they obeyed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2025

The SS-HJ soldiers obeyed most of the Americans’ surrender terms.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

It reenacts the Prophet Abraham's stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

From Barron's ● May 27, 2026

We let ourselves blend into the algorithm, feeding and obeying the machine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

Pasha said he was instructed to film and send proof to the authorities that the school was obeying the new curriculum.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

All of this may be of little practical concern since the chances of your ever actually facing a court-martial for obeying these particular unlawful orders are slim to zero.

From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025

Savoring good prose is not just a more effective way to develop a writerly ear than obeying a set of commandments; it’s a more inviting one.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023