obey

verb \ ō-ˈbā , ə- \

Updated on: 22 May 2018

Definition of obey

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

See obey defined for English-language learners

See obey defined for kids

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 of obey from the Web

Today, French advocates of gender-neutral language would also prefer the adjective to obey a rule of proximity, and agree with the gender of the nearest noun in a sentence.

— The Economist, "Language activists are trying to make French gender-neutral," 17 May 2018
Like other North Korean workers abroad, the women were trained to obey their manager, who held their passports.

— New York Times, "Tale of North Korean Waitresses Who Fled to South Takes Dark Turn," 11 May 2018
In regions where the force of gravity is strong, bodies obey Newton’s law of gravity, which states that the gravitational force between two objects decreases in proportion to the square of the distance that separates them.

— katia moskvitch, WIRED, "Troubled Times for Alternatives to Einstein’s Theory of Gravity," 6 May 2018
Earlier this week, the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission accepted Interim Chief Alfonso Morales' decision to fire Petersen for two counts of violating the department's core value of integrity by failing to obey state laws.

— ashley luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee police officer fired after 3rd offense drunken driving charge," 2 Mar. 2018
Those were his father’s orders, which, by this point, the 12-year-old had learned to obey.

— chris weller, Newsweek, "Parental Alienation Syndrome Isn’t in the DSM Yet, but It’s in Plenty of Arguments," 10 July 2014
There's a reason women's magazines are always touting the importance of sleep, and this close tie to autoimmune disorders is just the latest reason to obey your body's internal clock.

— lauren le vine, Redbook, "Those Late Nights Are Wreaking Havoc On Your Immune System," 12 Nov. 2013
The driver, who was not identified, received an infraction citation for failure to obey a traffic control device, police said.

— nicole blanchard, idahostatesman, "School bus driver cited for crash that shut down part of State Street | Idaho Statesman," 30 Apr. 2018
The coins force Heti to obey an authority beyond her control, which is, in a sense, the whole purpose of her book.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "Sheila Heti Wrestles with a Big Decision in “Motherhood”," 30 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of obey

Middle English obeien, from Anglo-French obeir, from Latin oboedire, from ob- toward + -oedire (akin to audire to hear) — more at ob-, audible

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year