abide

To abide is to follow rules and obey.

• If you don’t abide by the law, you might get arrested.
• Tyrone couldn’t abide by his parents’ rules, so they kicked him out of the house.
• Helena agreed to abide by the decision made by the judge.
• Failing to abide by the terms in the agreement will nullify the contract.

He didn’t abide by the law.

Sometimes the word "abide" means to tolerate or permit some form of behavior:

• Our teacher won’t abide rudeness in class.
• It was impossible to abide the murder of innocent women and children in the conflict.
• The United States will not abide the use of chemical weapons in war.

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This page was first publshed on January 1, 2014. It was updated on May 14, 2016.