Other forms: obeyed; obeying; obeys
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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подчиняться, повиноваться, слушаться, выполнять приказание
глагол ↓
- слушаться, повиноваться, подчиняться
to obey orders — выполнять приказания 
to obey one’s superiors — подчиняться старшим; слушаться старших
listen and obey! — слушайте и повинуйтесь!
- подчиняться; послушно выполнять (обыкн. о неодушевл. предметах)
the car obeyed the slightest touch of the wheel — автомобиль послушно реагировал на малейшее прикосновение к рулю
- руководствоваться (чем-л.), следовать; подчиняться (чему-л.)
to obey the law — подчиняться закону
to obey the rule — следовать правилу
to obey common sense — руководствоваться здравым смыслом
to obey an impulse — действовать под влиянием минутного порыва
obey your conscience — делайте так, как вам подсказывает совесть
- мат. удовлетворять условию или уравнению
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
Примеры с переводом
He always obeys his parents.
Он всегда слушается родителей.
The children must obey the rules.
Дети должны соблюдать правила.
You are required to obey.
Ты обязан подчиниться. / От вас требуют подчинения.
The children must learn to obey.
Дети должны научиться слушаться.
‘Sit!’ he said, and the dog obeyed him instantly.
— Сядь! — сказал он, и пес мгновенно повиновался ему.
There is no ifs or buts. He has to obey.
Никаких «если» и «но». Ему придётся подчиниться.
I obey your requisition and inquire the purpose of it.
Я подчиняюсь вашему требованию, но хотел бы знать ваши цели.
ещё 19 примеров свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
…expected her son to grow a little more rebellious as he got older, but she knew he understood when to kick and when to obey… 
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
disobey — не подчиняться, не повиноваться, не слушаться, ослушиваться
obeying — послушный, повинующийся
obeyance — подчинение, повиновение, послушание
Формы слова
verb
I/you/we/they: obey
he/she/it: obeys
ing ф. (present participle): obeying
2-я ф. (past tense): obeyed
3-я ф. (past participle): obeyed
Полезное
Смотреть что такое «obey» в других словарях:
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OBEY (A.) — OBEY ANDRÉ (1892 1975) Né à Douai dans le Nord et mort à Montsoreau en Touraine, André Obey écrit ses deux premières pièces en collaboration avec Denys Amiel: La Souriante Madame Beudet , créée en 1921 par le groupe du Canard sauvage, connaît le… … Encyclopédie Universelle
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obey — obey, comply, mind are comparable when they mean to follow the wish, direction, or command of another. Obey is the general term and implies ready or submissive yielding to the authority of another (as by the performance of his command or bidding) … New Dictionary of Synonyms
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Obey — may refer to: Obedience (human behavior), the act of following instructions or recognizing someone s authority André Obey, the 20th century French playwright David Obey, US Congressman from Wisconsin Obey, a 1995 album by the Swedish band… … Wikipedia
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Obey — O*bey , v. i. To give obedience. [1913 Webster] Will he obey when one commands? Tennyson. [1913 Webster] Note: By some old writers obey was used, as in the French idiom, with the preposition to. [1913 Webster] His servants ye are, to whom ye obey … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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Obey — O*bey , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Obeyed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Obeying}.] [OE. obeyen, F. ob[ e]ir, fr. L. obedire, oboedire; ob (see Ob ) + audire to hear. See {Audible}, and cf. {Obeisance}.] 1. To give ear to; to execute the commands of; to yield… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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Obey — ist der Name folgender Personen: David Obey (* 1938), US amerikanischer Politiker Ebenezer Obey (* 1942), nigerianischer Musiker Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort bezeichneter … Deutsch Wikipedia
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obey — I verb abide by, accede, accept, accommodate, acquiesce, act in accordance with orders, act on, adhere to, agree, answer to, assent, attend to, attend to orders, be devoted to, be faithful to, be governed by, be guided by, be loyal to, be… … Law dictionary
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obey — [ō bā′] vt. [ME obeien < OFr obeir < L obedire, to obey < OL oboedire < ob (see OB ) + audire, to hear: see AUDIENCE] 1. to carry out the instructions or orders of 2. to carry out (an instruction or order) 3. to be guided by; submit… … English World dictionary
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obey — (v.) late 13c., from O.Fr. obeir, from L. obedire, oboedire obey, pay attention to, give ear, lit. listen to, from ob to (see OB (Cf. ob )) + audire listen, hear (see AUDIENCE (Cf. audience)). Same sense development is in cognate O.E … Etymology dictionary
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obey — [v] conform, give in abide by, accede, accept, accord, acquiesce, act upon, adhere to, agree, answer, assent, be loyal to, be ruled by, bow to*, carry out, comply, concur, discharge, do as one says, do one’s bidding, do one’s duty, do what is… … New thesaurus
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obey — ► VERB 1) submit to the authority of. 2) carry out (an order). 3) behave in accordance with (a principle or law). ORIGIN Old French obeir, from Latin oboedire, from audire hear … English terms dictionary
transitive verb
1
: to follow the commands or guidance of
He always obeys his parents.
2
: to conform to or comply with
Falling objects obey the laws of physics.
Synonyms
Example Sentences
His dog has learned to obey several commands.
He always obeys his parents.
The children must obey the rules.
The children must learn to obey.
Recent Examples on the Web
However, none were obeyed or enforced as Ross streamed Super Bowl LVII live on Feb. 12 to as many as 100,000 people, immediately shattering Kick’s viewership records.
—
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2023
Rather, whichever unit is best suited for that task will obey the order, making combat a little more fluid.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
But according to a brand-new report from Patient Rights Advocate, 75 percent of hospitals are not obeying the law.
—Tanner Aliff, National Review, 21 Mar. 2023
But whether there were signals or not, all motorists obeyed the law.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2023
Police officers unleashed a barrage of commands that were confusing, conflicting and sometimes even impossible to obey, a Times analysis of footage from Tyre Nichols’s fatal traffic stop found.
—Natalie Reneau, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2023
The simulations didn’t obey their predictions quite as closely as in the case of three dice but were still close enough to bolster their belief in the conjecture.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 19 Jan. 2023
Kennedy’s compact dramas, poetic gems carved with scar-like intricacy, don’t obey conventional rules.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2023
For the love of God, obey the stickers.
—Katie O’hanlon, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘obey.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English obeien, borrowed from Anglo-French obeir, going back to Latin oboedīre, from ob- «toward, in the direction of» + -oedīre, probably unstressed form (with -oe- of uncertain origin) of audīre «to hear» — more at ob-, audible entry 1
Note:
The -oe- in oboedīre is peculiar both because it is not the expected result of -au- in a non-initial syllable (the regular outcome is -ū-) and because -oe- is in any case rare non-initially. Various attempts have been made to account for the irregularity. Reflecting earlier suggestions, Michiel de Vaan hypothesizes pre-Latin *ób-awizdijō > *obowizdijō > *oboizdijō (rounding of a before w, which is then lost, prior to the weakening of a to u) > oboediō (with z blocking monophthongization of -oi- to -ū- before succumbing to cluster reduction) (see Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages, Brill, 2008). As an alternative to assumptions of questionable phonetic change, it has also been suggested that a base other than audīre is at issue (Michael Weiss suggests *ob-bhoi̯diō, from a nominal derivative of the base of fīdere «to trust» [see faith entry 1]; see Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, Ann Arbor, 2009, p. 120).
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of obey was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near obey
Cite this Entry
“Obey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obey. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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4 Apr 2023
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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)
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Origin of obey
1250–1300; Middle English obeien<Old French obeir<Latin oboedīre, equivalent to ob-ob- + audīre to hear; -oe- for expected -ū- is unclear
OTHER WORDS FROM obey
o·bey·a·ble, adjectiveo·bey·er, nouno·bey·ing·ly, adverbun·o·beyed, adjective
un·o·bey·ing, adjectivewell-o·beyed, adjective
Words nearby obey
Oberth, obese, obesity, obesogen, obesogenic, obey, obfuscate, obfuscation, ob-gyn, obi, Obie
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to obey
accept, adhere to, carry out, comply, embrace, execute, heed, observe, surrender, accede, accord, acquiesce, agree, answer, assent, concur, discharge, follow, fulfill, keep
How to use obey in a sentence
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She agreed several times that “no one is above the law,” but she warned that the Supreme Court has no real recourse to ensure that people, including the president, obeyed its orders.
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“The Supreme Court can’t control what the president obeys,” she said flatly.
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If they obey and seem comfortable, there’s a good chance your pup will survive the day without you.
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They provide continuous information, so that the population can have real-time updates, and then believe in the government and strictly obey all their guidelines.
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The strong force operating between quarks obeys very complicated rules—so complicated, in fact, that usually the only way to calculate its effects is to use approximations and supercomputers.
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Those advocating justice should first obey the rule of law themselves.
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This argument is vital to a larger argument: Do we obey the rules set up to constrain government or not?
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THE DISHONOR OF HONOR KILLINGS Imagine a young woman killed by her own relatives for failing to obey.
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No soldier is obliged to obey a law contrary to the law of God.
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I continue to live here, work here, pay the taxes and obey the law.
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The sepoys refused to obey, and the sowars, drawing their pistols, shot dead or severely wounded six British officers.
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At the Flagstaff Tower the 74th and the remainder of the 38th suddenly told their officers that they would obey them no longer.
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He felt very sorry for the Temecula people, the sheriff did; but he had to obey the law himself.
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He understood, and would obey; but his eyes followed her wistfully till she disappeared from sight.
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When he was only three years old the huge creature would obey him and allow him to drive anywhere he pleased.
British Dictionary definitions for obey
verb
to carry out (instructions or orders); comply with (demands)
to behave or act in accordance with (one’s feelings, whims, etc)
Derived forms of obey
obeyer, noun
Word Origin for obey
C13: from Old French obéir, from Latin oboedīre, from ob- to, towards + audīre to hear
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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