Synonyms of obey

obey

verb

ō-ˈbā 

as in to follow

to act according to the commands of

she taught her dog to obey her when she said "Sit!"

most people obey the law and wear their seat belts

Synonyms & Similar Words

• follow
• observe
• conform (to)
• adhere (to)
• comply (with)
• abide by
• keep to
• mind
• fall in with
• submit (to)
• goose-step (to)
• yield (to)
• surrender (to)
• hear
• defer (to)
• agree (to)
• heed
• watch
• accede (to)
• regard
• take
• listen (to)
• assent (to)
• notice
• attend
• acquiesce (to)
• note
• mark

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disobey
• defy
• refuse
• dare
• challenge
• lead
• rebel (against)
• ignore
• renounce
• direct
• repudiate
• disregard
• violate
• dismiss
• pass over
• overlook
• disoblige
• break
• brush (off)
• transgress
• resist
• wink (at)
• infringe
• oppose
• breach
• flout
• fight
• withstand
• scorn
• mock
• tune out
• revolt (against)
• deride
• scoff (at)
• combat
• shrug off
• contest
• dispute
• overpass
• buck
• pooh-pooh
• mutiny (against)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of obey

He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and failure to obey a traffic device. — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 21 Oct. 2026

Because light obeys a superposition principle even under classical physics, this experimental breakthrough doesn’t imply that Schrödinger’s equation necessarily applies to objects 12,900 kilometers wide. — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

If the company chooses to obey, the Chinese might retaliate with the denial of crucial rare-earth metals. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Additional transcripts revealed the Kazakhstan Airlines crew never confirmed to the controller that the aircraft had received or obeyed the instructions to maintain 15,000 feet. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 16 Oct. 2026