Dictionary / obey
obey
- verb
- from Anglo-Norman
To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “obey” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
verb
- transitiveTo do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
obey the rules
- intransitiveTo do as one is told.
Soldiers are trained to obey.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- intransitiveobsoleteTo be obedient, compliant (to a given law, restriction etc.).
Synonyms: hearken, mind, accede, assent, acquiesce, obey, comply, conform, submit, yield
Antonyms: disobey, defy, rebel, resist, violate
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)obey
- Middle Englishobeyen
- Anglo-Normanobeir
- Latinoboediō (also obēdiō (“to listen to) “to listen to, harken, usually in extended sense, obey, be subject to, serve”
- Latinob- “before, near” + audiō “to hear”
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).
Derivatives — words built from “obey”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “obey” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “obey” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
obey v. t. [OE. obeyen, F. ob, fr. L. obedire, oboedire; ob (see Ob-) + audire to hear. See Audible, and cf. Obeisance.]
- To give ear to; to execute the commands of; to yield submission to; to comply with the orders of.
- To submit to the authority of; to be ruled by.
- To yield to the impulse, power, or operation of; as, a ship obeys her helm.
obey v. i.
- To give obedience.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
verbMeaning: To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
obey the rules
obey your boss
verbMeaning: To do as one is told.
Soldiers are trained to obey.
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
obey
/əʊˈbeɪ/ · obey
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
obey
/əʊˈbeɪ/ · obey · verb
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “obey” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“obey the rules”
Circle the meaning used.
“Soldiers are trained to obey.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “obey” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Latin oboediō. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — obey
Which meaning, sentence 1: B. To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
Which meaning, sentence 2: A. To do as one is told.
Origin: A. Anglo-Norman (Anglo-Norman obeir)
Journey: English obey ← Middle English obeyen ← Anglo-Norman obeir ← Latin oboediō ← Latin ob- + audiō
Some derivatives: misobey, obeyable, obeyance, obeyer, obeyingly, unobeyed, unobeying
Original meaning: Latin oboediō — “to listen to, harken, usually in extended sense, obey, be subject to, serve”
Built from: ob- “before, near” + audiō “to hear”
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).
Sources: Wiktionary “obey” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/obey#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/obey