obey

Meanings

Verb

be obedient to
To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
To do as one is told.
To be obedient, compliant (to a given law, restriction etc.).

Origin / 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).

Synonyms

accede, acquiesce, assent, comply, conform, hearken, mind, obey, submit, yield

Antonyms

defy, disobey, rebel, resist, violate

Scrabble Score: 9

obey is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
obey is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
obey is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

obey is a valid Words With Friends word