Meaning of "obey" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD OBEY

From Old French obéir, from Latin oboedīre, from ob- to, towards + audīre to hear.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF OBEY

obey  [əˈbeɪ]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF OBEY

Obey is a verb.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb obey in English.

WHAT DOES OBEY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Obey

Obey may refer to: ▪ Obedience, the act of following instructions or recognizing someone's authority ▪ Obey ▪ Obey, a 1995 album by the Swedish band Brainbombs ▪ Obey, a 2004 album by the Canadian band Axis of Advance ▪ André the Giant Has a Posse, which spawned the OBEY Giant movement ▪ Obay, a fictional drug in a Colleges Ontario ad campaign ▪ Obey, a fashion line by Shepard Fairey...

Definition of obey in the English dictionary

The definition of obey in the dictionary is to carry out ; comply with. Other definition of obey is to behave or act in accordance with.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO OBEY

PRESENT

Present

I obey

you obey

he/she/it obeys

we obey

you obey

they obey

Present continuous

I am obeying

you are obeying

he/she/it is obeying

we are obeying

you are obeying

they are obeying

Present perfect

I have obeyed

you have obeyed

he/she/it has obeyed

we have obeyed

you have obeyed

they have obeyed

Present perfect continuous

I have been obeying

you have been obeying

he/she/it has been obeying

we have been obeying

you have been obeying

they have been obeying

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I obeyed

you obeyed

he/she/it obeyed

we obeyed

you obeyed

they obeyed

Past continuous

I was obeying

you were obeying

he/she/it was obeying

we were obeying

you were obeying

they were obeying

Past perfect

I had obeyed

you had obeyed

he/she/it had obeyed

we had obeyed

you had obeyed

they had obeyed

Past perfect continuous

I had been obeying

you had been obeying

he/she/it had been obeying

we had been obeying

you had been obeying

they had been obeying

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will obey

you will obey

he/she/it will obey

we will obey

you will obey

they will obey

Future continuous

I will be obeying

you will be obeying

he/she/it will be obeying

we will be obeying

you will be obeying

they will be obeying

Future perfect

I will have obeyed

you will have obeyed

he/she/it will have obeyed

we will have obeyed

you will have obeyed

they will have obeyed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been obeying

you will have been obeying

he/she/it will have been obeying

we will have been obeying

you will have been obeying

they will have been obeying

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would obey

you would obey

he/she/it would obey

we would obey

you would obey

they would obey

Conditional continuous

I would be obeying

you would be obeying

he/she/it would be obeying

we would be obeying

you would be obeying

they would be obeying

Conditional perfect

I would have obey

you would have obey

he/she/it would have obey

we would have obey

you would have obey

they would have obey

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been obeying

you would have been obeying

he/she/it would have been obeying

we would have been obeying

you would have been obeying

they would have been obeying

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you obey
we let´s obey
you obey

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to obey

Past participle

obeyed

Present Participle

obeying

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «OBEY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «obey» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of obey

carry out · carry through · cave in · discharge · embrace · execute · follow · fulfil · give in · give way · give way to · heed · implement · keep · keep to · knuckle under · mind · observe · perform · serve · submit · succumb · surrender · toe the line · yield

TRANSLATION OF OBEY

Find out the translation of obey to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of obey from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «obey» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 服从
• Translator English - Spanish: obedecer
• English: obey
• Translator English - Hindi: का पालन
• Translator English - Arabic: يُطِيعُ
• Translator English - Russian: слушаться
• Translator English - Portuguese: obedecer
• Translator English - Bengali: মান্য
• Translator English - French: obéir
• Translator English - Malay: Taat
• Translator English - German: gehorchen
• Translator English - Japanese: 従う
• Translator English - Korean: 순종하다
• Translator English - Javanese: Ngrungokake
• Translator English - Vietnamese: vâng lời
• Translator English - Tamil: கீழ்ப்படிய
• Translator English - Marathi: आज्ञा पाळा
• Translator English - Turkish: itaat etmek
• Translator English - Italian: ubbidire
• Translator English - Polish: być posłusznym
• Translator English - Ukrainian: слухатися
• Translator English - Romanian: a fi supus
• Translator English - Greek: υπακούω
• Translator English - Afrikaans: gehoorsaam
• Translator English - Swedish: lyda
• Translator English - Norwegian: adlyde

10 QUOTES WITH «OBEY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word obey.

1

Alexandre Aja

Growing up in the eighties, you could go from one style in a movie to another style, and that was okay. In the nineties, you had to obey your niche. You had to follow the code and never step outside of exactly what you're doing.

2

Sparky Anderson

The only thing I believe is this: A player does not have to like a manager and he does not have to respect a manager. All he has to do is obey the rules.

3

Archilochus

Let who will boast their courage in the field, I find but little safety from my shield, Nature's, not honour's law we must obey: This made me cast my useless shield away.

4

Francis of Assisi

If a superior give any order to one who is under him which is against that man's conscience, although he do not obey it yet he shall not be dismissed.

5

Albert Barnes

It does not require great learning to be a Christian and be convinced of the truth of the Bible. It requires only an honest heart and a willingness to obey God.

6

Martha Beck

The process of spotting fear and refusing to obey it is the source of all true empowerment.

7

Alan Bennett

We started off trying to set up a small anarchist community, but people wouldn't obey the rules.

8

Ugo Betti

This free will business is a bit terrifying anyway. It's almost pleasanter to obey, and make the most of it.

9

John Bigelow

And, if there was any responsibility in refusing to obey, he was willing to accept it.

10

Danny Boyle

For us, destiny always feels... if you obey, it's almost a passive thing.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «OBEY»

Discover the use of obey in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to obey and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Why People Obey the Law

People obey the law if they believe it's legitimate, not because they fear punishment--this is the startling conclusion of Tom Tyler's classic study.

Tom R. Tyler, 2006

Obey: E pluribus venom : the art of Shepard Fairey

Showcases art from Shepard Fairey, an American artist who emerged from the skateboarding scene, and features an introduction from the artist, as well as essays on Fairey's work from Sarah Jaye Williams and Jonathan Levine.

Shepard Fairey, Sarah Jaye Williams, Jonathan Levine, 2008

Believe, Obey, Fight: Political Socialization of Youth in ...

The Fascist regime under Mussolini regarded its youth as its best hope for the future.

Tracy H. Koon, 1985

The Duty to Obey the Law: Selected Philosophical Readings

Others argue that the duty to obey the law can be grounded on the idea of consent, or on fairness, or on other ideas, such as community.

William Atkins Edmundson, 1999

Obey The Giant: Life in the Image World

Ranging across design, advertising, photography, publishing and art, these essays challenge received wisdom, dismiss sacred cows and pose challenging questions about key issues and trends - from graphic memes and the poverty of 'cool' to ...

Rick Poynor, 2007

To Love, Honor, and Obey in Colonial Mexico: Conflicts Over ...

An account of the transformation of cultural assumptions affecting parental authority and children's freedom to choose marriage partners, this book traces colonial period changes in ideas about free will, love, and honor, and in the views ...

‎1992

Is There a Duty to Obey the Law?

Discusses whether there is a duty to obey the law and the state.

Christopher Wellman, John Simmons, 2005

Me? Obey Him?

Elizabeth Rich Handford uses God's Word to present the reason for a wife's subjection to her husband.

Elizabeth Rice Handford, 1995

Little Red Learns to Obey

This is an important rule on the big farm. Why do we have rules? Why should we always obey? This second book in a series featuring Big Green and Little Red teaches children the purpose of rules and why it is important to follow them.

Geri Gilstrap, 2009

A Time to Obey

Ruth is the youngest of two daughters.

Denise Magallanes, 2006

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «OBEY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term obey is used in the context of the following news items.

Pentagon Chief Now 'Concerned' Iran Might Not Obey Nuclear …

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, while talking to American troops during an unannounced visit to Iraq on Thursday, cast doubt on ... «Breitbart News, Jul 15»

Obey the signs and common sense rules of etiquette

Winnequah Road and a bunch of other Monona streets were microsurfaced last week, and if you live on such a street, you faced the ... «HNGnews.com, Jul 15»

Kuku in US Hospital, Can't Obey EFCC Summons till Sept. 30

Former Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty Programmes, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, is currently in the United States of America for a knee ... «Daily Times Nigeria, Jul 15»

Arnold Obey's always been a teacher with a story to tell

Arnold Obey (R) with then NYC school's chancellor Dennis M. Walcott after completing the 2013 S.I. half marathon (flores/SI Advance). «SILive.com, Jul 15»

Our Opinion: Avoid the hassle, obey leash laws

Our Opinion: Avoid the hassle, obey leash laws. Published 10:12am Thursday, July 23, 2015. Email This Post · Comments ... «Austin Herald, Jul 15»

We must honor God and obey his word

We thank God for all the service members who have helped through all these wars, what a honor. They should have a circuit breaker license for ... «Herald & Review, Jul 15»

Christian Universities: Will They Obey God or Man?

Christian universities must either obey God, disobey man and suffer unsavory temporal consequences, or obey man, sell their souls for ... «Christian Post, Jul 15»

PENGASSAN urges Agip to obey court order on contract

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have called on the management of Nigerian Agip Oil ... «Daily Trust, Jul 15»

Pastor Bill Owens Urges Christians to Stand Against Gay Marriage …

Bill Owens, is calling on Christians to not participate in gay marriage ceremonies by "refusing to obey unjust laws" in the wake of the U.S. ... «Christian Post, Jul 15»

Pedestrians need to obey rules too

We have no clue how much the taxpayers paid for the traffic lights there, but unless both the cars AND the pedestrians obey them, they are a ... «InsideHalton.com, Jul 15»