abide

American  

[uh-bahyd] / əˈbaɪd /

verb (used without object)

abode, abided, abiding

1. to remain; continue; stay.

   Abide with me.

   Synonyms:

   tarry

2. to have one's abode; dwell; reside.

   to abide in a small Scottish village.

   Synonyms:

   live

3. to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.

   Synonyms:

   endure, persevere

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verb (used with object)

abode, abided, abiding

1. to put up with; tolerate; stand.

   I can't abide dishonesty!

   Synonyms:

   support, brook, endure, bear

2. to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting.

   to abide a vigorous onslaught.

3. to wait for; await.

   to abide the coming of the Lord.

4. to accept without opposition or question.

   to abide the verdict of the judges.

5. to pay the price or penalty of; suffer for.

verb phrase

1. abide by

   1. to act in accord with.

   2. to submit to; agree to.

      to abide by the court's decision.

   3. to remain steadfast or faithful to; keep.

      If you make a promise, abide by it.

abide British  

/ əˈbaɪd /

verb

1. (tr) to tolerate; put up with

2. (tr) to accept or submit to; suffer

   to abide the court's decision

3. 1. to comply (with)

      to abide by the decision

   2. to remain faithful (to)

      to abide by your promise

4. (intr) to remain or continue

5. archaic (intr) to dwell

6. archaic (tr) to await in expectation

7. archaic (tr) to withstand or sustain; endure

   to abide the onslaught

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abide Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing abide

• can't stand (abide)

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Other Word Forms

• abidance noun
• abider noun

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

Example Sentences

But he really regards that responsibility very highly and he abides by that.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yoshizawa and Yokohama bring abiding tenderness to their characters’ friendship while refusing to allow either protagonist to be reduced to a simple set of qualities.

From Los Angeles Times

Big picture: Large and never-ending U.S. trade deficits are like “The Dude” in the cult-classic movie “The Big Lebowski”: They abide, high tariffs or not.

From MarketWatch

Failure to abide by the rules could result in companies being fined up to 10% of their global sales or have their services blocked in the UK.

From BBC

The treaty isn’t legally in force because not enough nations have ratified it, but major powers including China, Russia and the U.S. say they are abiding by its terms.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accept
• stand for
• tolerate