as in to ignore
to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of
students who disobey their teachers and use cell phones in class drivers who consistently disobey traffic laws
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Recent Examples of disobey
Germany most explicitly spells out the duty to disobey unlawful orders (nobody has ever questioned the duty to obey lawful ones, obviously), while France, Britain, Israel and other Western countries have analogs.
—
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 5 Dec. 2025
Under military law, service members are obligated to obey lawful orders, but to disobey unlawful orders.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Crow was one of six Democrats with military or national security backgrounds who recently released a video advising active-duty Pentagon personnel not to break the law, even if that means disobeying orders from above.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 2 Dec. 2025
But service members are allowed to disobey unlawful orders—and they could even be prosecuted for carrying out patently unlawful orders, such as war crimes.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobey
Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 5 Dec. 2025
Under military law, service members are obligated to obey lawful orders, but to disobey unlawful orders.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Crow was one of six Democrats with military or national security backgrounds who recently released a video advising active-duty Pentagon personnel not to break the law, even if that means disobeying orders from above.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 2 Dec. 2025
But service members are allowed to disobey unlawful orders—and they could even be prosecuted for carrying out patently unlawful orders, such as war crimes.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobey
Verb
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Authorities said Sutton ignored multiple commands to comply and resisted detention.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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The background checks on Cook, if in fact there were any, were totally ignored.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In October 2025, Beckerink pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges in connection to two incidents at Tracey's home in New Buffalo, Michigan, as well as one count of contempt for violating his bond, and was sentenced to 93 days in jail.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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The lawsuit argues the freeze violated federal law, including the Administrative Procedure Act and constitutional limits on executive power and how Congress appropriates funds.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In Iran, thousands of users have reportedly used Starlink to access the unfiltered internet, defying government restrictions despite the service not being officially approved.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
5 Jan. 2026
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The judge has held Attorney General James Uthmeier in contempt for defying her order.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After a man appears to resist, the situation escalates as several agents tackle him and place him in handcuffs.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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Pahlavi has encouraged Iranians to resist the Islamic regime by participating in mass protests.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Many users on social media mocked the team for the design.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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When hackers reveal his identity and expose it to the public, he is ridiculed, mocked, and threatened.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The act of extinction, formalized thousands of miles away during the course of a tense meeting, had involved opposing factions in the company responsible for the destiny of Skinny Pedro and his companions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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And if Tommy is opposed to big risks, Cami can’t have him as the president of her company anymore.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disobey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobey. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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