abide
Americanverb (used without object)
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abides,
present (3rd person singular)
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abode,
past participle, past
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abided,
past participle, past
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abiding
present participle
verb (used with object)
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abides,
present (3rd person singular)
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abode,
past participle, past
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abided,
past participle, past
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abiding
present participle
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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:
The second, AB 1795, would require insurers to abide by those standards in the claims process and do so in a timely manner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
The long answer is that you must abide by the “deemed-filing rule.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
He called on the supporters of Khan, who remains a dominant political personality, to abide by the party's agreement with the court that there "must not be any crowding or commotion".
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
On Wednesday, in a local Sydney court, prosecutors withdrew the charges after it was agreed that Ahmed would abide by an apprehended domestic violence order for 12 months, limiting his contact with his father.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Barack was too earnest, too full of valiant plans, in my opinion, to abide by the hardscrabble, drag-it-out rancor that went on inside the domed capitol downstate in Springfield.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
A federal monitor will be installed to ensure Live Nation abides by these terms over the next eight years.
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
But he really regards that responsibility very highly and he abides by that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 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
UC has vigorously defended it admissions practices and said it abides by state and federal laws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2025
Because improv is an art form governed by a series of rules, and they want to make sure that when they’re up onstage, everyone abides by those rules.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
"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
He told CBS News on Monday that Iran "could have access" to a $300bn reconstruction fund if it abided by the terms of its deal with the US.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 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
The company added that it abided with the law in Los Angeles County and “every jurisdiction where we operate.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
And so Grief and Shame abided in adjoining rooms with the door shut between them, holding their pain in their arms instead of each other.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
He’s now a professor of modern history at the University of St. Andrews, the sort of place that might send a shudder down the fellowship at his former abode.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Hindus regard Kailash as the abode of deities Shiva and Parvati, while Tibetan Buddhists associate it with Mount Meru, which they say is the centre of the universe.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Located in the exclusive Madison Park community, the expansive abode overlooks Lake Washington and sits on a 1.9-acre parcel.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Still, the actress struggled to find a buyer—with sources telling Realtor.com at the time that, while the four-bedroom abode had come under offer several times, the deals always fell through before they could officially close.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
It was a beautiful sight to behold, the struggle of the carp to regain his abode before the river dried to a trickle and trapped him in strange pools of water.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
"We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules," she said on social media.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
He is a filmmaker with an abiding humanism, evidently flummoxed in the face of the nonhuman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 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
It had a deep and abiding sense of place and history, so unlike the town, where not even the origin of the name itself could be vouched for with any confidence.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
