abide

verb \ ə-ˈbīd \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of abide

abode play \-ˈbōd\ or abided; abiding

transitive verb

1 a : to bear patiently : tolerate

cannot abide such bigots

b : to endure without yielding : withstand

abide the onrush of the enemy

2 : to wait for : await

I will abide the coming of my lord.
—Alfred Tennyson

3 : to accept without objection

will abide your decision

intransitive verb

1 : to remain stable or fixed in a state

a love that abode with him all his days

2 : to continue in a place : sojourn

will abide in the house of the Lord

—

abider

noun

— abide by

1 : to conform to

abide by the rules

2 : to accept without objection : to acquiesce in

will abide by your decision

See abide defined for English-language learners

See abide defined for kids

abide was our Word of the Day on 04/02/2018. Hear the podcast!

Examples of abide in a Sentence

Now his anger had poisoned all relationships, no one could be put in the two empty beds in the room, and not even his long-suffering sister could abide him in her house. —Peter Pouncey, Rules for Old Men Waiting, 2005
A former party functionary, Yeltsin replaced Communist ideology with a supremely simplified vision of democracy, which boiled down to two tenets: He could not abide Communists, and he supported freedom of the press. —Masha Gessen, New Republic, 5 June 2000
abide in the house of the Lord
a love that abided till the end of their lives

Recent Examples of abide from the Web

There’s no golden rule that Marvel has to abide by its comic book source material.

— alex abad-santos, Vox, "Thanos, the villain of Avengers: Infinity War, explained," 19 Apr. 2018
While Ryan will have to abide by a rule that says representatives must wait one year between working on Capitol Hill and lobbying work, there are no such rules about joining companies’ boards.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Poverty Scold Paul Ryan Retiring at 48 to Join the Ranks of Idle Rich," 12 Apr. 2018
Los Angeles, which refused to abide by the new rules, was not awarded any money from the $98 million pool.

— author: joel rubin, dakota smith, Anchorage Daily News, "Money for police cannot be pegged to cooperation with ICE, judge rules," 12 Apr. 2018
Last but not least, sunglasses, which used to abide by the bigger, the better rule, are now all about tiny and totally weird shapes.

— alice bell, Vogue, "These Are the Spring 2018 Street Style Trends to Take With You to Coachella," 6 Apr. 2018
The bill under debate would also force Turo to abide by the same permitting process at airports as rental car companies.

— peter holley, chicagotribune.com, "Airbnb for cars is here. And the rental car giants are not happy.," 30 Mar. 2018
The other former Esty staffer, who spoke to the Courant on the condition of anonymity, said the congresswoman urged aides to abide by the non-disclosure agreement and avoid gossip.

— neil vigdor, courant.com, "Former Elizabeth Esty Aide: Congress Enables Domestic Violence and Harassment," 30 Mar. 2018
The governor may still be obliged, after all, to abide by Judge Reynolds’s ruling.

— The Economist, "Republican governors try to avoid holding special elections," 28 Mar. 2018
Part of her wants to abide by the celebrity code of discretion, but a much more irrepressible part of her loves to tell good stories.

— caity weaver, GQ, "There's Something Funny About Tiffany Haddish," 26 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Use of abide in Literature and Popular Culture

The comments by users of this dictionary suggest that many people who are interested in the meaning of the word abide are motivated by one of two rather distinct things: the Bible, in which, for instance, Jesus calls upon his followers to "abide in me"; and the movie The Big Lebowski, in which Jeffrey Lebowski (aka "The Dude") proclaims that "The Dude abides." Both the movie and the book have done much to keep the word in general current usage. Though the sources are wildly different, in each of these particular examples, abide is used as it is defined at the first intransitive sense: "to remain stable or fixed in a state." In the phrase "abide in me," Jesus is asking his followers to stay constant in their relationship to him. The exact meaning of "The Dude abides" is a topic of some debate, but clearly there is some notion of the constancy of Lebowski himself—metaphysically perhaps—being asserted.

Although the phrase can’t abide has for some the feeling of a modern colloquialism, it has been pointed out that such use dates back at least as far as Shakespeare: in Henry IV, Part II, Falstaff says “she would always say she could not abide Master Shallow.”

Did You Know?

Abide may sound rather old-fashioned these days. The word has been around since before the 12th century, but it is a bit rare now, except in certain specialized uses. Even more archaic to our modern ear is "abidden," the original past participle of "abide." Today, both the past and the past participle of "abide" are served by either "abode" or "abided," with "abided" being the more frequent choice. "Abide" turns up often in the phrase "can't (or couldn't) abide." The expression "abide by," which means "to conform to" or "to acquiesce in," is also common. Related terms include the participial adjective "abiding" (which means "enduring" or "continuing," as in "an abiding interest in nature"), the noun "abidance" ("continuance" or "compliance"), and the noun "abode" ("residence").

Origin and Etymology of abide

Middle English abiden, going back to Old English abīdan, from a-, perfective prefix + bīdan "to bide, wait"; a- (also ā-, ǣ- under stress in nominal derivatives) akin to Old Frisian a-, perfective prefix, Old Saxon ā-, ō- (unstressed a-) and probably to Old English or- "outward, extreme, lacking (in nominal compounds)," Old Frisian & Old Saxon ur-, or-, Old High German ar-, ir-, er- unstressed inchoative verb prefix, ur "out of, away from," Old Norse ūr-, ör-, "out of, from," ør-, privative prefix, Gothic us- "out of," us-, privative and perfective prefix; if from pre-Germanic *ud-s- akin to Old English ūt "out" — more at ¹out, bide

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

See Words from the same year

abide Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of abide

bear, suffer, endure, abide, tolerate, stand mean to put up with something trying or painful. bear usually implies the power to sustain without flinching or breaking.

- forced to bear a tragic loss

suffer often suggests acceptance or passivity rather than courage or patience in bearing.

- suffering many insults

endure implies continuing firm or resolute through trials and difficulties.

- endured years of rejection

abide suggests acceptance without resistance or protest.

- cannot abide their rudeness

tolerate suggests overcoming or successfully controlling an impulse to resist, avoid, or resent something injurious or distasteful.

- refused to tolerate such treatment

stand emphasizes even more strongly the ability to bear without discomposure or flinching.

- unable to stand teasing

continue, last, endure, abide, persist mean to exist over a period of time or indefinitely. continue applies to a process going on without ending.

- the search for peace will continue

last, especially when unqualified, may stress existing beyond what is normal or expected.

- buy shoes that will last

endure adds an implication of resisting destructive forces or agencies.

- in spite of everything, her faith endured

abide implies stable and constant existing especially as opposed to mutability.

- a love that abides through 40 years of marriage

persist suggests outlasting the normal or appointed time and often connotes obstinacy or doggedness.

- the sense of guilt persisted

ABIDE Defined for English Language Learners

abide

verb

Definition of abide for English Language Learners

: to accept or bear (someone or something bad, unpleasant, etc.)
: to stay or live somewhere
: to remain or continue

ABIDE Defined for Kids

abide

verb \ ə-ˈbīd \

Definition of abide for Students

abode \-ˈbōd\ or abided; abiding

1 : to put up with patiently : tolerate

They won't abide bad behavior.

2 : ¹last 1, endure

His love for his work abided until he died.

3 : to stay or live in a place

… I shall abide near her all through the night.
—E. B. White, The Trumpet of the Swan

— abide by

: to accept the terms of : obey

She was forced to abide by the rules.

Law Dictionary

abide

transitive verb

legal Definition of abide

abode or abided; abiding

: to accept without objection

— abide by

: to act or behave in accordance with or in obedience to

Learn More about abide

See words that rhyme with abide Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for abide Spanish Central: Translation of abide Nglish: Translation of abide for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of abide for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up abide? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

abide

Definition of abide

abider

abide was our Word of the Day on 04/02/2018. Hear the podcast!

Examples of abide in a Sentence

Recent Examples of abide from the Web

The Use of abide in Literature and Popular Culture

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of abide

abide Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of abide

Phrases Related to ABIDE

Related Phrases

ABIDE Defined for English Language Learners

abide

Definition of abide for English Language Learners

ABIDE Defined for Kids

abide

Definition of abide for Students

Law Dictionary

abide

legal Definition of abide

Learn More about abide

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

All the Hits

The Fossil Encased in "Case In Point"

Trending: 'Venom' Trailer Drives Searches for 'Symbiote'

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes