abide
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to put up with; tolerate; stand.
I can't abide dishonesty!
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to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting.
to abide a vigorous onslaught.
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to wait for; await.
to abide the coming of the Lord.
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to accept without opposition or question.
to abide the verdict of the judges.
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to pay the price or penalty of; suffer for.
verb phrase
verb
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(tr) to tolerate; put up with
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(tr) to accept or submit to; suffer
to abide the court's decision
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to comply (with)
to abide by the decision
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to remain faithful (to)
to abide by your promise
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(intr) to remain or continue
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archaic (intr) to dwell
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archaic (tr) to await in expectation
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archaic (tr) to withstand or sustain; endure
to abide the onslaught
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abidesimple
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abidessimple
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have abidedperfect
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have abodeperfect
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has abidedperfect
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has abodeperfect
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am abidingprogressive
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are abidingprogressive
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is abidingprogressive
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have been abidingperfect progressive
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has been abidingperfect progressive
Past
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abidedsimple
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abodesimple
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had abidedperfect
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had abodeperfect
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was abidingprogressive
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were abidingprogressive
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had been abidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abide
First recorded before 1000; Middle English abiden, Old English ābīdan; cognate with Old High German irbītan “to await,” Gothic usbeisns “expectation, patience”; equivalent to a- 3 + bide
Explanation
Abide means "to be able to live with or put up with." If you can't abide with something, it means you can't stand it. If you can abide it, it means you can live with it. An old definition of abide is "to live" — think of abode, as in "dwelling." If you abide by the rules, it means you live with them, and you will follow them. If you can't abide your sister's shrill violin playing, it means you can't live with it, you can't be in the house when she's practicing. You abide something you don't like, like your teacher's long stories about math. It's not a pleasant experience, but what choice do you have?
Vocabulary lists containing abide
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 7–11
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Antigone
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Burnham, who replaced Starmer as Labour Party leader and prime minister earlier this month, has vowed to abide by all the party's 2024 election manifesto commitments.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Asked on NewsNation on Sunday about Iran’s announcement that it would no longer abide by the memorandum, Trump said, “I couldn’t care less.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
“You are all employees at will and can choose to abide by this mandate in the terms laid out above or not,” read the note, signed by Nieporte, DeGaetano and Selver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
It’s formal, but I know you’ve been here for a long time, and I want to abide by the correct channels.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Partly, it was because he could not abide the noise that power tools made.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Nobody’s perfect, and the longer a piece of art abides, the more likely it is that it’ll start to suck.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2026
A federal monitor will be installed to ensure Live Nation abides by these terms over the next eight years.
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
UnitedHealth said he abides by its conflict-of-interest policies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
If you don't understand Spanish then it is perhaps better you search online for the literal translation of the motto which Alcaraz abides by.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
“We have read the scroll, and it is indeed an invitation. It seems that the Fairy Queen, at least, still abides by the laws of our treaty.”
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
"For years, Europeans aided and abided flagrant ethical flaws in the international football federation," said Bruen, head of the Global Situation Room strategic communications firm.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
It requires those submitting trophy kills to sign an affidavit swearing they have abided by club technology and other restrictions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
In response, the military said it was surprised by the accusation it was behind the attack, adding that it abided by "international norms and laws".
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
Bondi abided, and appointed a top federal prosecutor to pursue the investigation with “urgency and integrity.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
And abided by whatever the finger pointed to, for he knew every configuration of the naming of his sister.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
On June 25, the West Hollywood abode was relisted for $2.095 million—$254,000 less than its previous ask of $2.349 million.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Upon entering the abode, guests are greeted with a charming living area with a cozy fireplace and large windows.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
She shares her L.A. abode now with husband Ted Danson, whom she married in 1995 and with whom she’s starred in numerous projects, including the Netflix series “A Man on the Inside.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
It’s not easy to leave one’s abode as the eldest daughter in a Mexican household, she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
There when they arrived everything was delightful, soft green meadows, lovely groves, a delicious life-giving air, sunlight that glowed softly purple, an abode of peace and blessedness.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Writing on social media, she said: "We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Vimalakirti leans over the edge of his canopied bed with an impatient stare, as he argues that it is possible to enjoy earthly life while still abiding by Buddhist nonattachment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
In the abiding spirit of the Americans who believed in and built that promise, this year’s series on how to think about constitutional meaning is limited only by what you, the people, can imagine.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
Instead of abiding by existing trading hours for traditional derivatives exchanges, perpetual contracts trade 24 hours, seven days a week, with cash settlement occurring at regular intervals.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026
And I felt in this a cosmic injustice, a profound cruelty, which infused an abiding, irrepressible desire to unshackle my body and achieve the velocity of escape.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
