obey

English

Etymology

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).

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: obey
• Rhymes: -eɪ

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.

   obey the rules

   obey your boss

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

   Soldiers are trained to obey.

3. (obsolete, intransitive) To be obedient, compliant (to a given law, restriction etc.).
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     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)

Derived terms

• tremble and obey

 

Related terms

• obedience
• obedient
• obeisance

Translations

to do as ordered by

• Arabic: أَطَاعَ (ʔaṭāʕa)

  Egyptian Arabic: طاوع (ṭāwiʕ)

• Armenian: հնազանդվել (hy) (hnazandvel)
• Azerbaijani: itaət etmək
• Belarusian: падпарадко́ўвацца impf (padparadkóŭvacca), падпара́дкавацца pf (padparádkavacca), пакара́цца impf (pakarácca), пакары́цца pf (pakarýcca)
• Bulgarian: подчиня́вам се (bg) impf (podčinjávam se), покоря́вам се (bg) impf (pokorjávam se)
• Burmese: နားထောင် (my) (na:htaung), ပန်ရွက် (my) (panrwak)
• Catalan: obeir (ca)
• Chinese:

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

• Czech: poslouchat (cs) impf
• Danish: adlyde (da) c, lystre c, lyde c
• Dutch: gehoorzamen (nl)
• Esperanto: obei (eo)
• Finnish: totella (fi), noudattaa (fi)
• French: obéir (fr), obtempérer (fr)
• Friulian: ubidî
• Galician: obedecer (gl)
• Georgian: დამორჩილება (damorčileba), გაგონება (gagoneba)
• German: gehorchen (de)
• Gothic: 𐌿𐍆𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ufhausjan)
• Greek: υπακούω (el) (ypakoúo)

  Ancient: ὑπακούω (hupakoúō)

• Hindi: आज्ञा मानना (ājñā mānnā), इताअत करना (itāat karnā)
• Hungarian: engedelmeskedik (hu), betart (hu), követ (hu), tiszteletben tart (hu)
• Ingrian: kuulla, hoolia
• Irish: géill do
• Italian: obbedire (it), ubbidire (it)
• Japanese: 従う (ja) (したがう, shitagau), 服従する (ja) (ふくじゅうする, fukujū suru)
• Kabuverdianu: obi, uví
• Kapampangan: pamintuan
• Khmer: ស្ដាប់ (km) (sdap), ស្ដាប់បង្គាប់ (sdap bɑngkŏəp)
• Korean: 복종하다 (ko) (bokjonghada)
• Lao: ເຊື່ອຟັງ (sư̄a fang)
• Latin: audio (la), obaudio, oboedio (la), pareo (la)
• Malayalam: അനുസരിക്കുക (ml) (anusarikkuka)
• Maori: mau, ū, whakarongo
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: захирагдах (zaxiragdax)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: lyde, adlyde, lystre (no)

• Old Church Slavonic: послоушати impf or pf (poslušati)
• Old English: hīeran
• Oromo: abboomamuu
• Persian: اطاعت کردن (fa) (etâ'at kardan)
• Piedmontese: ubidì
• Plautdietsch: jehorchen
• Polish: przestrzegać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: obedecer (pt)
• Quechua: kasukuy
• Romanian: a se supune (ro)
• Russian: подчиня́ться (ru) impf (podčinjátʹsja), подчини́ться (ru) pf (podčinítʹsja), повинова́ться (ru) impf or pf (povinovátʹsja), покоря́ться (ru) impf (pokorjátʹsja), покори́ться (ru) pf (pokorítʹsja)
• Slovak: poslúchať impf, poslúchnuť pf
• Spanish: obedecer (es)
• Swahili: kutii (sw)
• Swedish: lyda (sv)
• Tajik: итоат кардан (itoat kardan)
• Thai: เชื่อฟัง (th) (chʉ̂ʉa-fang)
• Turkish: saymak (tr)
• Ukrainian: підкоря́тися impf (pidkorjátysja), підкори́тися pf (pidkorýtysja), кори́тися (korýtysja)
• Urdu: اطاعت کرنا (itā'at karnā)
• Uzbek: itoat etmoq
• Vietnamese: phục tùng (vi), tuân theo (vi)
• Welsh: ufuddhau (cy)
• Yiddish: פֿאָלגן (folgn)

to do as one is told

• Belarusian: слу́хацца impf (slúxacca)
• Bulgarian: слу́шам (bg) impf (slúšam)
• Czech: podřídit se pf, řídit se (cs) impf
• Finnish: totella (fi)
• German: befolgen (de)

  Alemannic German: folge

• Greek:

  Ancient: πείθομαι (peíthomai)

• Hungarian: engedelmeskedik (hu), szót fogad (hu)
• Japanese: 言いなりになる (iinari ni naru)
• Kabuverdianu: obi, uví
• Latin: audio (la), obaudio, oboedio (la)
• Malayalam: അനുസരിക്കുക (ml) (anusarikkuka)
• Maori: ū, whakarongo
• Norwegian: adlyde, være lydhør

  Bokmål: adlyde, lystre (no)

• Old English: hīeran
• Russian: слу́шаться (ru) impf (slúšatʹsja), послу́шаться (ru) pf (poslúšatʹsja)
• Spanish: obedecer (es)
• Swedish: lyda (sv)
• Turkish: itaat etmek (tr)
• Tày: cạ ti̱nh
• Ukrainian: слу́хатися impf (slúxatysja)
• Vietnamese: vâng lời (vi)
• Yiddish: פֿאָלגן (folgn)

to be obedient, compliant

• Bulgarian: покоря́вам се (bg) impf (pokorjávam se)
• Czech: být v souladu
• Italian: obbedire (it), assolvere (it), conformarsi (it)
• Kabuverdianu: obi, uví
• Latin: audio (la)
• Malayalam: അനുസരിക്കുക (ml) (anusarikkuka)
• Maori: ū
• Spanish: acatar (es), atenerse (es)

Further reading

• “obey”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “obey”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• e-boy, yebo