# obey

Pronunciation: say "oh-BAY" US /oʊˈbeɪ/, UK /əʊˈbeɪ/

## Verb

1. To carry out the orders of a person, institution, or other authority; to act according to their bidding.
   - Simple: To do what a person, rule, or group tells you to do.
   - _Citizens are expected to obey the laws of the country._
   - _She obeyed her father's instructions and locked the gate._
2. To act as one is told, complying with instructions or commands.
   - Simple: To do what you are told to do.
   - _He never questions orders; he simply obeys._
   - _The new recruits learned to obey quickly._

## Verb

3. To submit or conform to a law, restriction, or similar constraint. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To follow a law or rule and stay within what it allows.

## Origin

From Middle English obeyen, borrowed through Anglo-Norman and Old French obeir, from Latin oboedio (also obedio, "to listen to, obey, be subject to, serve"). This comes from ob- ("before, near") plus audio ("to hear"); the form oboedio is thought to reflect a false archaism, possibly encouraged by the word's associations with law courts.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/obey (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).