as in following
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
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Recent Examples of obeying
While current power brokers haven’t scrapped movies over their content, yet, Hollywood has a recent history of companies obeying in advance by shelving projects until the tensions cool.
—
Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
It was intended simply to verify that a nonviolent offender was obeying curfew hours.
—Robert S. Gable, IEEE Spectrum, 20 July 2017
Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
It was intended simply to verify that a nonviolent offender was obeying curfew hours.
—Robert S. Gable, IEEE Spectrum, 20 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obeying
Verb
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And, in the aftermath, these were Chiefs coaches’ biggest regrets following a season gone awry.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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The host noted the date of the insurrection, following President Joe Biden's win over Trump in the 2020 election for president, early on.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When Armistice Day became a federal holiday in 1938, many states had already begun observing it.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
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Health inspectors cited the Sacramento grocery store after observing staff washing raw meat display plates in the preparation sink using handwashing soap and water.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Obeying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obeying. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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