Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To carry out or fulfill the command, order, or instruction of.
- intransitive verb To carry out or comply with (a command, for example).
- intransitive verb To behave obediently.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To comply with the wishes or commands of; submit to, as in duty bound; be subject to; serve with dutifulness.
- To comply with; carry out; perform; execute.
- To submit to the power, control, or influence of: as, a ship obeys her helm.
- To submit (one's self).
- To yield or give up; submit to power, authority, control, or influence; do as bidden or directed: as, will you obey? Formerly sometimes followed by to.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To give obedience.
- transitive verb To give ear to; to execute the commands of; to yield submission to; to comply with the orders of.
- transitive verb To submit to the authority of; to be ruled by.
- transitive verb To yield to the impulse, power, or operation of.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To do as
ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of. - verb intransitive To do as one is told.
- verb obsolete, intransitive To be
obedient ,compliant (to a given law, restriction etc.).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb be obedient to
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Helen, in a cream-colored sheath, her hair clipped with a beaded tiara, repeated similar promises, her throat tightening ever so slightly around the word obey.
Sea Escape Lynne Griffin 2010
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Helen, in a cream-colored sheath, her hair clipped with a beaded tiara, repeated similar promises, her throat tightening ever so slightly around the word obey.
Sea Escape Lynne Griffin 2010
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He thought Alesandra had already fallen asleep and was just easing away from her when she whispered, “I dislike the word obey, Colin.”
Castles and The Lion’s Lady Julie Garwood 1993
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In the modern vows, however, the word 'obey' is excluded.
BBC News - Home 2011
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The only rule the king has to obey is that eventually he has to call every prisoner in an arbitrary number of times.
Boing Boing: October 9, 2005 - October 15, 2005 Archives 2005
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They must live here or there, marry so and so, or forfeit favour -- in short, obey the parental head.
The Toilers of the Field Richard Jefferies 1867
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So they returned to the palace, mourning for their separation from him, especially the youngest, with whom no rest would stay nor would Patience her call obey, but she wept night and day.
Arabian nights. English Anonymous 1855
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Equality is the soul of friendship: marriage, to give delight, must join two minds, not devote a slave to the will of an imperious lord; whatever conveys the idea of subjection necessarily destroys that of love, of which I am so convinced, that I have always wished the word obey expunged from the marriage ceremony.
The History of Emily Montague Frances Brooke 1756
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God had often declared that to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams, that sacrifice and offering he would not; the legal sacrifices had their virtue and value from the institution, and the reference they had to Christ the great propitiation; but otherwise, of themselves, it was impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume IV (Isaiah to Malachi) 1721
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To obey is better than sacrifice; for angels obey, but do not sacrifice.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon) 1721
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