Showing results for obey. Search instead for to obey.

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing obey

"Nadia the Willful"

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!

"Rachel the Clever"

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!

"The New England Primer"

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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

Antonelli was in no mood to obey a computer algorithm.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

For much of the nearly 40-minute journey, the driver appeared to stop at red lights and obey traffic laws, Sgt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 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

Penelope put down her pole and made off at a trot, for by now she knew that walking was no way for a sailor to obey a summons from the captain.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

In other words, the deal appears to strike a balance that will ensure the university obeys the law without coercive overreach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

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

“Or anyway, it obeys you better than the marten does.”

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

The broader biographical facts are obeyed, but “Amadeus” is fundamentally ahistorical, and sometimes implausible: It is to be trusted only as television.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 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

Six merchant vessels obeyed direction from U.S. forces to reverse course and re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, Centcom said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

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

From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025

Peach and I glanced at each other and obeyed.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

Videos of the arrests showed the men obeying police instructions even as they did not answer questions from reporters who were also seen at the scene.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

However, the Nuremberg tribunals after World War II established in international law that obeying an unlawful order does not absolve an individual of responsibility for atrocities.

From Slate ● Dec. 3, 2025

Binance set up Binance.US in 2019 as a bare-bones American platform obeying U.S. rules.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 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

“I will, I will! Only you must be responsible for damages.” and obeying orders, Laurie heroically shut his eyes while something was put into his arms.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

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