obey

verb

ō-ˈbā 

ə-

obeyed; obeying

transitive verb

1

: to follow the commands or guidance of

He always obeys his parents.

2

: to conform to or comply with

obey an order

Falling objects obey the laws of physics.

intransitive verb

: to behave obediently

The dog does not always obey.

obeyer noun

Synonyms

• adhere (to)
• comply (with)
• conform (to)
• follow
• goose-step (to)
• mind
• observe

Examples of obey in a Sentence

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

Orwell’s 1984 novel is set in a totalitarian state, where people are brainwashed into obeying a leader known as Big Brother. —Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 2 May 2025

Digital money is likely to obey the same rule: protocols that knit together identity, credit scoring, and real-time settlement shape global commerce far beyond the mechanics of moving bits. —Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

In either case, if the justices overturn or delay Bar’s dismissal, the next question will be whether Netanyahu will obey the decision or ignite a constitutional showdown—and, in the latter case, how the public responds, and what side other government officials take. —Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025

The Trump administration has faced criticism and accusations of not obeying a Supreme Court order in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a migrant who was deported to El Salvador who had not been convicted of a crime. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025

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-b^hoi̯diō, 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, 2nd edition, Ann Arbor, 2020, p. 130).

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for obey

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

obey

verb

ō-ˈbā 

ə-

obeyed; obeying

1

a

: to follow the commands or guidance of

obeyed her parents

b

: to be obedient

trained the dog to obey

2

: to act in agreement with : carry out

obey an order

obey the rules