obey

verb

/əˈbeɪ/

[transitive, intransitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they obey	/əˈbeɪ/ /əˈbeɪ/
he / she / it obeys	/əˈbeɪz/ /əˈbeɪz/
past simple obeyed	/əˈbeɪd/ /əˈbeɪd/
past participle obeyed	/əˈbeɪd/ /əˈbeɪd/
-ing form obeying	/əˈbeɪɪŋ/ /əˈbeɪɪŋ/

jump to other results

to do what you are told or expected to do服从；遵守；顺从
- obey something to obey a command/an order/rules/the law服从指挥／命令；遵守规章／法律
- He was arrested when he failed to obey a police instruction to stop. 他因未能服从警方的制止指令而被捕。
- He has turned into an efficient soldier, blindly obeying orders (= without questioning them). 他变成了一名高效的士兵，盲目服从命令。
- obey somebody He had always obeyed his parents without question.他对父母一向绝对服从。
- (figurative) I tried to run but my legs just wouldn't obey me.我试着跑，但我的腿就是不听我的。
- ‘Sit down!’ Meekly, she obeyed.“坐下！” 她乖乖地顺从了。
opposite disobey
Extra Examples
- He refuses to obey the rules.他拒绝遵守规则。
- The driver refused to obey police instructions.司机拒绝服从警察的指示。
- The soldiers were punished for failing to obey orders.士兵因不服从命令而受到惩罚。
- People have a moral duty to obey the law.遵纪守法是人们道德上的义务。
- She was used to having her orders instantly obeyed.她习惯于别人对她言听计从。
- She's being punished for failure to obey a court order.她因未遵守庭谕正在受惩罚。
Topics War and conflictb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- immediately
- instantly
- quickly
- …
verb + obey
- have to
- must
- refuse to
- …
phrases
- be only obeying orders
- a duty to obey
- an obligation to obey
- …
See full entry
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French obeir, from Latin oboedire, from ob- ‘in the direction of’ + audire ‘hear’.