o·bey
verb/əˈbeɪ/
/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/ |
- 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.
由于他没有遵守警方的停车指示，他被捕了。 - He has turned into an efficient soldier, blindly obeying orders (= without questioning them).
他已经变成了一名高效的士兵，盲目服从命令（=不质疑命令）。 - 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.
我试图逃跑，但我的腿却不听使唤。 - ‘Sit down!’ Meekly, she obeyed.
“坐下！”她乖乖地顺从了。
Extra ExamplesTopics War and conflictb2- He refuses to obey the rules.
他拒绝遵守规则。 - The driver refused to obey police instructions.
司机拒绝服从警方的指示。 - The soldiers were punished for failing to obey orders.
士兵们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。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- immediately
- instantly
- quickly
- …
- have to
- must
- refuse to
- …
- be only obeying orders
- a duty to obey
- an obligation to obey
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French obeir, from Latin oboedire, from ob- ‘in the direction of’ + audire ‘hear’. - obey something to obey a command/an order/rules/the law