obey

verb

\ ō-ˈbā ,

ə- \

obeyed; obeying

Definition of obey

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.

Other Words from obey Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about obey

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Choose the Right Synonym for obey

obey and mind mean to do what a person says. obey is used when someone quickly yields to the authority of another or follows a rule or law. Obey your parents. Obey all traffic laws. mind is used like obey especially when speaking to children but it often means paying attention to the wishes or commands of another. Mind what I said about talking.

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

Dun was arrested on charges of trespassing on state property, failing to obey a sign, and suspicion of delaying a police officer. — Ashley Hoffman, Time, "Man Causes More Los Angeles Traffic Than Usual By Scaling Sign Half Naked," 28 June 2018 Guests were criticized for issues such as ringing the wrong doorbell, throwing food from windows and failing to obey Japan’s Byzantine trash-sorting rules. — Mayumi Negishi, WSJ, "Japan Says Airbnb Had Plenty of Warning About New Licensing Law," 11 June 2018 These numbers will tell us just how often governments are trying to block access to certain apps, and how many of those orders are actually obeyed. — Ashley Carman, The Verge, "Apple will start reporting government requests to remove apps from the App Store," 25 May 2018 Police said the arrests came after a crowd surrounded a car in the parking lot, and the women failed to obey an order to disperse. — Anita Chabria, sacbee, "These five activists are keeping the peace in Sacramento in the wake of Stephon Clark | The Sacramento Bee," 13 Apr. 2018 Hollie observed this vehicle fail to obey sign: right turn only and proceed through the intersection of Bissonnet St. and Bellaire Blvd. — Houston Chronicle, "Bellaire police report," 19 Feb. 2018 Officers, police said, opened fire on the car after Lukecart and the passenger failed to obey commands to show their hands and after Lukecart revved the engine to presumably resume the pursuit. — Toriano Porter, kansascity, "Five Jackson County officer-involved shootings cleared in 2017 | The Kansas City Star," 12 Jan. 2018 That incident resulted in five new charges: felon in possession of a handgun, possession of a pipe and of marijuana, fleeing an officer, and failure to obey an officer's commands. — Cynthia Sewell, idahostatesman, "He said he was on a path to 'positive change.' Then came prison time, & the shootout," 5 July 2018 But acting Adelaide Archbishop Greg O’Kelly said priests would not obey the law. — Rod Mcguirk, USA TODAY, "Australian bishop sentenced to year’s detention for child sex abuse cover-up," 2 July 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.