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as in to live
to have a home the charming fantasy that fairies abide in the cup-shaped flowers dotting the woodland floor

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb abide differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of abide are bear, endure, stand, suffer, and tolerate. While all these words mean "to put up with something trying or painful," abide suggests acceptance without resistance or protest.

cannot abide their rudeness

When is bear a more appropriate choice than abide?

The words bear and abide are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bear usually implies the power to sustain without flinching or breaking.

forced to bear a tragic loss

When could endure be used to replace abide?

While in some cases nearly identical to abide, endure implies continuing firm or resolute through trials and difficulties.

endured years of rejection

In what contexts can stand take the place of abide?

The meanings of stand and abide largely overlap; however, stand emphasizes even more strongly the ability to bear without discomposure or flinching.

unable to stand teasing

When might suffer be a better fit than abide?

The synonyms suffer and abide are sometimes interchangeable, but suffer often suggests acceptance or passivity rather than courage or patience in bearing.

suffering many insults

When can tolerate be used instead of abide?

The words tolerate and abide can be used in similar contexts, but tolerate suggests overcoming or successfully controlling an impulse to resist, avoid, or resent something injurious or distasteful.

refused to tolerate such treatment

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abide These frivolous and politically motivated lawsuits that violate Second Amendment rights can go on for years and financially devastate law abiding citizens. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Oct. 2025 Released in 2002, Real Women Have Curves starred a then-teenage Ferrera as Ana, a young Los Angeles woman who aspires to go to college, but whose mother (the late Lupe Ontiveros) longs for her daughter to stay home and lead a traditional life abiding by cultural standards. Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025 Her presence was a profound blessing for our entire community, and her spirit abides in thousands of lives. Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025 With Hamas facing unprecedented international isolation, its allies either unable or unwilling to help, the group appears set on abiding by the peace agreement. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for abide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abide
Verb
  • The Razorbacks forced a punt and Green threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to O’Mega Blake with 2 seconds remaining to cut Texas A&M’s lead to 21-20 at halftime.
    Matt Jones, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Interim coaches typically have an uphill battle to remain the head coach long-term.
    Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Her mother died in this house in 2020 due to early-onset Alzheimer's after living here with her father, Gerry Grubbs, for about 15 years, DesRochers tells me.
    Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Abbott was the first to announce the deployment of the Texas National Guard to Austin through a foreboding statement on X, warning that any disorder wouldn’t be tolerated.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Though enzymatic processes tolerate more contamination than many chemical ones, industrial plants will likely still require pretreatment (washing, grinding, delabeling) to avoid enzyme fouling.
    Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Emma Donoghue’s Room, which continues to haunt worried parents everywhere?
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Further, as consumer interest in wearable health tech continues to grow, so do concerns about the privacy of health data.
    Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Not many players Simons’ age would have stayed so committed to the process of growth.
    Jay King, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Number one, maybe your soil stays too wet or too dry.
    Steve Bender, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Neptune and Jackie will be residing in tanks near each other, but not in the same habitat.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Adolpho Veloso, the film’s cinematographer who was raised in Brazil and now resides in Portugal, was sent the script and connected to it immediately.
    Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Astronauts traveling to Mars will have to survive for months on a tiny spaceship with minimal food, endure microgravity where their bones and muscles waste away, and suffer from cosmic radiation bombardment.
    Big Think, Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The consequences for patients who endured famine often lingered long after the hunger ended.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The money being spent on infrastructure, which will last for many years, comes at a time when scientists say the world will shift away from fossil fuels, including natural gas.
    NPR, NPR, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Senter-Rankin said the residency will last until Bar Chelou opens next year.
    Jonathan Shikes, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Abide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abide. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

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