obey

English

Etymology

From Middle English obeyen, from Anglo-Norman obeir, obeier et al., Old French obeir, from Latin oboedire (also obēdīre (“to listen to, harken, usually in extended sense, obey, be subject to, serve”)), from ob- (“before, near”) + audīre (“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).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /oʊˈbeɪ/, /əˈbeɪ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əʊˈbeɪ/, /əˈbeɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪ
• Hyphenation: obey

Verb

obey (third-person singular simple present obeys, present participle obeying, simple past and past participle obeyed)

1. (transitive) To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
2. (intransitive) To do as one is told.
3. (obsolete, intransitive) To be obedient, compliant (to a given law, restriction etc.).
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.iv:

     They were all taught by Triton, to obay / To the long raynes, at her commaundement [...].

Synonyms

• hearken

Antonyms

• disobey
• defy
• rebel
• resist
• violate (especially rules)

Related terms

• obedience
• obedient
• obeisance

Translations

to do as ordered by

• Arabic: أَطَاعَ‎‎ (ʾaṭāʿa)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: падпарадко́ўвацца impf (padparadkóŭvacca), падпара́дкавацца pf (padparádkavacca), пакара́цца impf (pakarácca), пакары́цца pf (pakarýcca)
• Bulgarian: подчиня́вам се (bg) impf (podčinjávam se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 服从 (zh) (fúcóng), 遵守 (zh) (zūnshǒu)

• Czech: poslouchat (cs)
• Dutch: gehoorzamen (nl)
• Esperanto: obei
• Finnish: totella (fi), noudattaa (fi)
• French: obéir (fr)
• Friulian: ubidî
• Georgian: დამორჩილება (damorčileba), გაგონება (gagoneba)
• German: gehorchen (de)
• Greek: υπακούω (el) (ypakoúo)

  Ancient: ὑπακούω (hupakoúō)

• Hungarian: engedelmeskedik (hu)
• Irish: géill do
• Italian: obbedire (it), ubbidire (it)
• Japanese: 従う (ja) (したがう, shitagau)

• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: 복종하다 (ko) (bokjonghada)
• Latin: audio (la), obaudio, oboedio (la)
• Maori: mau, ū, whakarongo
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: adlyde
• Persian: اطاعت کردن‎‎ (fa) (etâ'at kardan)
• Plautdietsch: jehorchen
• Polish: przestrzegać (pl)
• Portuguese: obedecer (pt)
• Quechua: kasukuy
• Russian: подчиня́ться (ru) impf (podčinjátʹsja), подчини́ться (ru) pf (podčinítʹsja), повинова́ться (ru) impf, pf (povinovátʹsja), покоря́ться (ru) impf (pokorjátʹsja), покори́ться (ru) pf (pokorítʹsja)
• Slovak: poslúchať impf, poslúchnuť pf
• Spanish: obedecer (es)
• Swahili: kutii (sw)
• Swedish: lyda (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: itaat etmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: підкоря́тися impf (pidkorjátysja), підкори́тися pf (pidkorýtysja)
• Welsh: ufuddhau (cy)

to do as one is told

• Czech: podřídit se, řídit se (čím)
• Finnish: totella (fi)
• German: befolgen (de)

  Alemannic German: folge

• Hungarian: engedelmeskedik (hu)
• Japanese: 言いなりになる (iinari ni naru)

• Latin: audio (la)
• Maori: ū, whakarongo
• Norwegian: adlyde, være lydhør
• Russian: слу́шаться (ru) impf (slúšatʹsja), послу́шаться (ru) pf (poslúšatʹsja)
• Spanish: obedecer (es)
• Swedish: lyda (sv)

to be obedient, compliant

• Czech: být v souladu
• Latin: audio (la)

• Maori: ū

Further reading

• obey in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• obey in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911