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to abide by

to abide by

79 3.5
To accept and follow a rule, decision, or agreement
  • phrasal verb
  • /əˈbaɪd baɪ/
translation icon : acatar
  • Employees are expected to abide by the company's code of conduct at all times.
  • abide by the rules
  • abide by the law
  • abide by legal obligations

How much is it, You know, how much do they abide by those two standards?

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Examples

  • Everyone who enters agrees in advance to abide by whatever the majority decides.

  • Ask the roommate again not to smoke inside and to please abide by their agreement.

    Academic text (1994)
  • And so the answer is they abide by the same rules.

  • But it's simply just saying we're going to abide by our agreed upon rules in this.

  • So it makes complete sense to abide by whatever kind of conditions or advice you are given.

  • We must abide by her decision.

  • Why do some people choose not to abide by the marriage rules of their own society?

    Academic text (2011)
  • And we're required to abide by it, regardless of our personal feelings.

  • There were more boundaries and rules that you had to abide by.

  • Besides, as JBI employees, they had to abide by the safety rules.

    Fiction book (2000)

Synonyms

to follow
vsto abide by
1.0

To act according to rules, advice, or beliefs

focuses on formal acceptance and acting according to an agreement
to obey
vsto abide by
411 1.0

Do what someone in charge tells you or follow a rule

includes voluntary acceptance and acting under agreements as well
to comply
vsto abide by
332 3.8

Do what a rule or person asks

emphasizes general agreement and action rather than mere obedience tone
to abide
vsto abide by
114 3.4

To follow a rule or law

has identical meaning but appears as a phrasal verb form
to conform
vsto abide by
96 3.2

Think and act like other people or follow rules

is more about accepting and acting under a particular rule or decision
to observe
vsto abide by
93 3.4

To follow a rule or tradition by doing what it asks

is about accepting and acting according to a rule or agreement
to go by
vsto abide by
91 1.8

To follow a rule or plan

is specifically about accepting and acting under a rule or decision
to adhere
vsto abide by
87 4.7

Continue to follow and support a rule, belief, or person

focuses more on accepting and acting under a specific decision
to adhere to
vsto abide by
79 3.9

To follow rules or instructions

is the common phrasal expression for the same obedience action
to follow the rule
vsto abide by
55 2.8

Do what a rule says

covers the same obedience but is used more broadly for agreements
to conform to
vsto abide by
50 3.7

Do what rules or standards say you must

is centered on accepting and acting by a specific decision or agreement
to acquiesce
vsto abide by
  • Formal
20 8.4

To accept something you do not want without complaining

involves willing acceptance and acting according to a rule or agreement
to fall in line
vsto abide by
  • Informal
18 4.3

To follow rules or other people after not wanting to at first

is about accepting and acting according to a rule without the reluctance detail
to toe the line
vsto abide by
  • Informal
9 5.4

To do what people in charge expect and follow the rules exactly

is similar but used for accepting and acting under decisions or agreements
to comply with regulations
vsto abide by
  • Formal
1 3.4

Follow rules or laws that apply to you

is more general, applying to any rule, decision, or agreement

Antonyms

627 4.4

Break a law, rule, agreement, or promise

119 3.9

Ignore something or someone on purpose

How Compliant

to adhere to
79 3.9
to obey
411 1.0
to abide by
79 3.5
to comply
332 3.8
to accept
1.3

Surface Forms

abide by infinitive
abiding by present participle
abides by third person singular
abode by past
abode by past participle

Morphology

abide + by

The verb 'abide' already carries the sense 'to accept, obey, or conform' and the preposition 'by' marks the rule or decision being followed; combined they form a standard verb + preposition meaning 'follow or accept a rule'. This composition follows normal English syntactic semantics and is likely derivable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Abide by comes from the old meaning of abide as 'to stay' or 'remain' and the idea of by as 'near'. So, to abide by a rule is to 'stay near' the rule—keep close to it and 'follow' it.