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

Washington police charged Reichstadter with crowding, obstructing, or incommoding, unlawful entry and failure to obey an officer. —ABC News, 6 May 2026

Only one way to find out, by dispatching a bunch of armed young people whose brains haven’t fully developed and telling them to make everyone obey, or else! —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 1 May 2026

Beginning July 1, California law enforcement agencies may issue notices of AV noncompliance when an autonomous vehicle doesn’t obey traffic laws. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026

Dupree confided in Firecracker about how his church was destroyed by one of Homelander's obeying supes and asked for her help in rebuilding. —Staff Author, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026