obey
Americanverb (used with object)
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obeys,
present (3rd person singular)
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obeyed,
past participle, past
-
obeying
present participle
-
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.).
-
(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)
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obeys,
present (3rd person singular)
-
obeyed,
past participle, past
-
obeying
present participle
verb
-
to carry out (instructions or orders); comply with (demands)
-
to behave or act in accordance with (one's feelings, whims, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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obeyernoun
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obeyableadjective
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unobeyedadjective
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unobeyingadjective
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well-obeyedadjective
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obeyinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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obeysimple
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obeyssimple
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have obeyedperfect
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has obeyedperfect
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am obeyingprogressive
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are obeyingprogressive
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is obeyingprogressive
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have been obeyingperfect progressive
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has been obeyingperfect progressive
Past
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obeyedsimple
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had obeyedperfect
-
was obeyingprogressive
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were obeyingprogressive
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had been obeyingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
“The pro-slavery factions were picking on specific verses like ‘slaves obey your masters’ and saying, ‘Well, we’re clearly advancing the more biblical society because look, the Bible says exactly what we’re doing,’” Coffman said.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
The results indicate that the local geometric components of spacetime obey a version of the first law of thermodynamics.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
The new Americans took an oath of allegiance promising to, among other things, obey and defend the US Constitution.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Because visitors and immigrants must obey U.S. laws, the court found that they are subject to its jurisdiction.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
She yanked at her gift like a cord and demanded it obey.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
The robot obeys, switching off its data gathering.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
The family say they obeyed soldiers' orders to stop and posed no danger.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
Abrahamson said Good should have obeyed the officer’s command to exit from the vehicle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
Military law establishes a strong presumption that military orders are lawful and must be obeyed.
From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025
When calculating probabilities with Bayes' rule, the principle of minimum change is obeyed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2025
Anya obeyed, and the two of them ran down the road for a few minutes.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
What about the risks of obeying an unlawful order?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
They are the ones most likely to be held accountable for obeying and transmitting unlawful orders because they are the ones who had the best chance of getting those orders changed or revoked.
From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025
It DE decides a school is not obeying the guidance it can be named and shamed.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025
Increasingly, U.S. companies are worried that by obeying U.S. laws, they could run afoul of Chinese rules.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2025
She answered in a flat voice, “If you stopped obeying them.”
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson 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.
