obey

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• Received-Pronunciation: /əʊˈbeɪ/
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• Received-Pronunciation: /əˈbeɪ/
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• General-American: /oʊˈbeɪ/
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• General-American: /əˈbeɪ/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• South-Asia: /ɵˈbe(j)/
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• rhymes with -eɪ
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• CMU ARPABET: OW0 B EY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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).

154 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Chungli Ao: anga — to do as ordered by
• Arabic: أَطَاعَ (ʔaṭāʕa) — to do as ordered by
• Arabic: طاوع (ṭāwiʕ) — to do as ordered by
• Armenian: հնազանդվել (hnazandvel) — to do as ordered by
• Azerbaijani: itaət etmək — to do as ordered by
• Belarusian: падпарадко́ўвацца (padparadkówvacca) — to do as ordered by
• Belarusian: падпара́дкавацца (padparádkavacca) — to do as ordered by
• Belarusian: пакара́цца (pakarácca) — to do as ordered by
• Belarusian: пакары́цца (pakarýcca) — to do as ordered by
• Bulgarian: подчиня́вам се (podčinjávam se) — to do as ordered by
• Bulgarian: покоря́вам се (pokorjávam se) — to do as ordered by
• Burmese: နားထောင် (na:htaung) — to do as ordered by
• Burmese: ပန်ရွက် (panrwak) — to do as ordered by
• Catalan: obeir — to do as ordered by
• Chinese Mandarin: 服從 /服从 (fúcóng) — to do as ordered by
• Chinese Mandarin: 遵守 (zūnshǒu) — to do as ordered by
• Czech: poslouchat — to do as ordered by
• Danish: adlyde — to do as ordered by
• Danish: lystre — to do as ordered by
• Danish: lyde — to do as ordered by
• Dutch: gehoorzamen — to do as ordered by
• Esperanto: obei — to do as ordered by
• Finnish: totella — to do as ordered by
• Finnish: noudattaa — to do as ordered by
• French: obéir — to do as ordered by
• French: obtempérer — to do as ordered by
• Friulian: ubidî — to do as ordered by
• Galician: obedecer — to do as ordered by
• Georgian: დამორჩილება (damorčileba) — to do as ordered by
• Georgian: გაგონება (gagoneba) — to do as ordered by
• German: gehorchen — to do as ordered by
• Gothic: 𐌿𐍆𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ufhausjan) — to do as ordered by
• Greek: υπακούω (ypakoúo) — to do as ordered by
• Ancient Greek: ὑπακούω (hupakoúō) — to do as ordered by
• Hindi: आज्ञा मानना (ājñā mānnā) — to do as ordered by
• Hindi: आज्ञापालन (ājñāpālan) — to do as ordered by
• Hungarian: engedelmeskedik — to do as ordered by
• Hungarian: betart — to do as ordered by
• Hungarian: követ — to do as ordered by
• Hungarian: tiszteletben tart — to do as ordered by
• Ingrian: kuulla — to do as ordered by
• Ingrian: hoolia — to do as ordered by
• Irish: géill do — to do as ordered by
• Italian: obbedire — to do as ordered by
• Italian: ubbidire — to do as ordered by
• Japanese: 従う (shitagau) — to do as ordered by
• Japanese: 服従する (fukujū suru) — to do as ordered by
• Kabuverdianu: obi — to do as ordered by
• Kabuverdianu: uví — to do as ordered by
• Kapampangan: pamintuan — to do as ordered by
• Khmer: ស្ដាប់ (sdap) — to do as ordered by
• Khmer: ស្ដាប់បង្គាប់ (sdap bɑɑbɑngkŏəp) — to do as ordered by
• Korean: 복종하다 (bokjonghada) — to do as ordered by
• Lao: ເຊື່ອຟັງ (sư̄a fang) — to do as ordered by
• Ladin: ulghé — to do as ordered by
• Ladin: fé al sënn — to do as ordered by
• Latin: audio — to do as ordered by
• Latin: obaudio — to do as ordered by
• Latin: oboedio — to do as ordered by
• Latin: pareo — to do as ordered by
• Lingala: tósa — to do as ordered by
• Malayalam: അനുസരിക്കുക (anusarikkuka) — to do as ordered by
• Māori: mau — to do as ordered by
• Māori: ū — to do as ordered by
• Māori: whakarongo — to do as ordered by
• Mongolian: захирагдах (zaxiragdax) — to do as ordered by
• Norwegian Bokmål: lyde — to do as ordered by
• Norwegian Bokmål: adlyde — to do as ordered by
• Norwegian Bokmål: lystre — to do as ordered by
• Norwegian Nynorsk: lyda — to do as ordered by
• Old Church Slavonic: послоушати (poslušati) — to do as ordered by
• Old English: hīeran — to do as ordered by
• Oromo: abboomamuu — to do as ordered by
• Persian: اطاعت کردن (etâ'at kardan) — to do as ordered by
• Piedmontese: ubidì — to do as ordered by
• Plautdietsch: jehorchen — to do as ordered by
• Polish: przestrzegać — to do as ordered by
• Portuguese: obedecer — to do as ordered by
• Quechua: kasukuy — to do as ordered by
• Romanian: a se supune — to do as ordered by
• Russian: подчиня́ться (podčinjátʹsja) — to do as ordered by
• Russian: подчини́ться (podčinítʹsja) — to do as ordered by
• Russian: повинова́ться (povinovátʹsja) — to do as ordered by
• Russian: покоря́ться (pokorjátʹsja) — to do as ordered by
• Russian: покори́ться (pokorítʹsja) — to do as ordered by
• Slovak: poslúchať — to do as ordered by
• Slovak: poslúchnuť — to do as ordered by
• Spanish: obedecer — to do as ordered by
• Swahili: kutii — to do as ordered by
• Swedish: lyda — to do as ordered by
• Tajik: итоат кардан (itoat kardan) — to do as ordered by
• Thai: เชื่อฟัง (chʉ̂ʉa-fang) — to do as ordered by
• Turkish: saymak — to do as ordered by
• Ukrainian: підкоря́тися (pidkorjátysja) — to do as ordered by
• Ukrainian: підкори́тися (pidkorýtysja) — to do as ordered by
• Ukrainian: кори́тися (korýtysja) — to do as ordered by
• Urdu: اطاعت کرنا (itā'at karnā) — to do as ordered by
• Uzbek: itoat etmoq — to do as ordered by
• Vietnamese: phục tùng — to do as ordered by
• Vietnamese: tuân theo — to do as ordered by
• Welsh: ufuddhau — to do as ordered by
• Yiddish: פֿאָלגן (folgn) — to do as ordered by
• Belarusian: слу́хацца (slúxacca) — to do as one is told
• Bulgarian: слу́шам (slúšam) — to do as one is told
• Czech: podřídit se — to do as one is told
• Czech: řídit se — to do as one is told
• Finnish: totella — to do as one is told
• German: befolgen — to do as one is told
• German: folge — to do as one is told
• Ancient Greek: πείθομαι (peíthomai) — to do as one is told
• Hindi: आज्ञापालन (ājñāpālan) — to do as one is told
• Hungarian: engedelmeskedik — to do as one is told
• Hungarian: szót fogad — to do as one is told
• Ladin: ulghé — to do as one is told
• Ladin: fé al sënn — to do as one is told
• Japanese: 言いなりになる (iinari ni naru) — to do as one is told
• Kabuverdianu: obi — to do as one is told
• Kabuverdianu: uví — to do as one is told
• Latin: audio — to do as one is told
• Latin: obaudio — to do as one is told
• Latin: oboedio — to do as one is told
• Malayalam: അനുസരിക്കുക (anusarikkuka) — to do as one is told
• Māori: ū — to do as one is told
• Māori: whakarongo — to do as one is told
• Norwegian: adlyde — to do as one is told
• Norwegian: være lydhør — to do as one is told
• Norwegian Bokmål: adlyde — to do as one is told
• Norwegian Bokmål: lystre — to do as one is told
• Old English: hīeran — to do as one is told
• Polish: być posłusznym — to do as one is told
• Polish: słuchać się — to do as one is told
• Russian: слу́шаться (slúšatʹsja) — to do as one is told
• Russian: послу́шаться (poslúšatʹsja) — to do as one is told
• Spanish: obedecer — to do as one is told
• Swedish: lyda — to do as one is told
• Tày: cạ ti̱nh — to do as one is told
• Turkish: itaat etmek — to do as one is told
• Ukrainian: слу́хатися (slúxatysja) — to do as one is told
• Vietnamese: vâng lời — to do as one is told
• Yiddish: פֿאָלגן (folgn) — to do as one is told
• Bulgarian: покоря́вам се (pokorjávam se) — to be obedient, compliant
• Czech: být v souladu — to be obedient, compliant
• Hindi: आज्ञाकारी (ājñākārī) — to be obedient, compliant
• Italian: obbedire — to be obedient, compliant
• Italian: assolvere — to be obedient, compliant
• Italian: conformarsi — to be obedient, compliant
• Kabuverdianu: obi — to be obedient, compliant
• Kabuverdianu: uví — to be obedient, compliant
• Latin: audio — to be obedient, compliant
• Malayalam: അനുസരിക്കുക (anusarikkuka) — to be obedient, compliant
• Māori: ū — to be obedient, compliant
• Polish: być posłusznym — to be obedient, compliant
• Spanish: acatar — to be obedient, compliant
• Spanish: atenerse — to be obedient, compliant