Meaning

3 senses

  1. (transitive)To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.

    obey the rules

    obey your boss

    gehorchen

    подчиня́тьсяpodčinjátʹsja, подчини́тьсяpodčinítʹsja, повинова́тьсяpovinovátʹsja

    підкоря́тисяpidkorjátysja, підкори́тисяpidkorýtysja, кори́тисяkorýtysja

  2. (intransitive)To do as one is told.

    Soldiers are trained to obey.

    befolgen

    слу́шатьсяslúšatʹsja, послу́шатьсяposlúšatʹsja

    слу́хатисяslúxatysja

  3. (intransitive, obsolete)To be obedient, compliant (to a given law, restriction etc.).

    be obedient to

Examples

428 sentences

  1. You have to obey your parents.

    Ти повинен слухатися батьків.

    ruТы должен слушаться своих родителей.

    deDu musst deinen Eltern gehorchen.

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  2. We should obey the traffic rules.

    Ми повинні дотримуватись правил дорожнього руху.

    ruМы должны следовать правилам дорожного движения.

    deWir sollten uns an die Verkehrsregeln halten.

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  3. They don't always obey their parents.

    Вони не завжди слухаються своїх батьків.

    ruОни не всегда слушаются родителей.

    deSie gehorchen nicht immer ihren Eltern.

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  4. Are you refusing to obey me?

    Ти відмовляєшся підкоритися мені?

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  5. We always have to obey the rules.

    Ми завжди маємо слідувати правилам.

    ruМы всегда должны следовать правилам.

    deWir müssen uns immer an die Regeln halten.

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Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 2
to do as ordered by:
to do as one is told:
Русский
By meaning 2
to do as ordered by:
to do as one is told:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
to do as ordered by:
to do as one is told:

Origin

From Middle English obeyen, from Anglo-Norman obeir, obeier et al., Old French obeir, from

From Middle English obeyen, from Anglo-Norman obeir, obeier et al., Old French obeir, from Latin oboediō (also obēdiō (“to listen to, harken, usually in extended sense, obey, be subject to, serve”)), from ob- (“before, near”) + audiō (“to hear”). Compare audient. In Latin, ob + audire would have been expected to become Classical Latin *obūdiō (compare in + claudō becoming inclūdō), but it has been theorized that the usual law court associations of the word for obeying encouraged a false archaism from ū to oe, to oboediō (compare Old Latin oinos → Classical Latin ūnus).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

obeys, obeying, obeyed, obeyed
Base formobey · to obey
3rd person singularobeys
Present participleobeying
Past simpleobeyed
Past participleobeyed

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyobey
he, she, itobeys

Past simpleLesson

all personsobeyed

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave obeyed
he, she, ithas obeyed

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill obey

Synonyms

10 synonyms
mindA2complyC1conformC1submitB2yieldB2hearkenaccedeassentacquiesce

Antonyms

5 antonyms
disobeydefyB2rebelB2resistB1violateB2

Word family

20 related words
RelatedobedienceB2obedientB2adhereC2followA2fulfillB2keepA1meetA1observeB1commandB1instructionB1obeisancecarry outpay attention
Derivedmisobeyobeyableobeyanceobeyerobeyinglyunobeyedunobeying

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

Collocations

12 patterns
  • obey the rules
  • obey the law
  • to obey the
  • always obey
  • always obey the
  • obey the traffic
  • should obey the
  • obey those orders
  • obey orders
  • have to obey
  • obey your parents
  • must obey the

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
obeliskobeseobesityobfuscateobituaryB2
obey — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto