INDEX:
1. to not obey a person
2. to not obey a rule or law
3. someone who refuses to obey people, rules, laws etc
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ OBEY
see also
↑ LAW
↑ RULE/REGULATION
↑ RULE/REGULATION
↑ ILLEGAL
◆◆◆
1. to not obey a person
▷ disobey /ˌdɪsəˈbeɪ, ˌdɪsəʊ-/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to not do what you are told to do by someone in authority :
▪ It was unfair of the teacher to make us stay after school, but no one dared disobey.
▪ My father was very strict and old-fashioned, but I never disobeyed him.
▪ Black had disobeyed the judge’s ruling, and continued to harass his ex-wife.
disobedience /ˌdɪsəˈbiːdiəns, ˌdɪsəʊ-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ Her parents never allowed disobedience to go unpunished.
▷ not do as you’re told /nɒt ˌduː əz jɔːʳ ˈtəʊld/ [verb phrase]
if someone, especially a child, does not do as they are told, they refuse to obey a parent, teacher, etc :
▪ ‘Daddy, why?’ ‘Don’t ask, just do as you’re told.’
▪ If she doesn’t do as she’s told, send her to her room.
▷ defy /dɪˈfaɪ/ [transitive verb]
to deliberately disobey someone in authority, even though you know this will make them angry :
▪ Billy defied his mother, and smoked openly in the house.
▪ She said she would defy the party leader and vote against him.
defiance [uncountable noun]
▪ There wasn’t much he could do about his daughter’s defiance.
▷ go against somebody’s wishes /ˌgəʊ əgenst somebodyˈs ˈwɪʃə̇z/ [verb phrase]
to not do what someone has asked you to do, or what you know they want you to do :
▪ They went against their parents’ wishes and got married secretly.
▪ Sacha went against her family’s wishes by leaving school at 16.
▷ rebel /rɪˈbel/ [intransitive verb]
to deliberately behave in a way that is completely different from the way that your parents and people in general expect you to behave :
▪ Her parents wanted her to go to university, but she rebelled and went to live on a commune.
rebel against
▪ Teenagers tend to rebel against people in authority.
2. to not obey a rule or law
▷ disobey /ˌdɪsəˈbeɪ, ˌdɪsəʊ-/ [transitive verb]
to not obey a law or rule :
▪ Protesters disobeyed the law and blocked the city’s main roads.
▪ Troops openly disobeyed orders, refusing to use force against their own people.
▷ break a rule/law /ˌbreɪk ə ˈruːl, ˈlɔː/ [verb phrase]
to not do what a rule or law says you must do :
▪ Students who break the rules and smoke in school will be suspended.
▪ I do not want my sons’ TV role models to be tough, cool guys, who break laws and kill people.
break the law
▪ If you fail to buy a ticket before you get on the train, you are breaking the law.
▷ violate /ˈvaɪəleɪt/ [transitive verb] formal
to disobey or do something that is against a rule, agreement, principle etc :
▪ This action violated the constitution and the Civil Rights Act.
▪ Police have arrested twenty people, accused of violating a ban on demonstrations.
violation /ˌvaɪəˈleɪʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ The movement of troops was in violation of the peace treaty.
▪ Excessive workloads can lead to the violation of health and safety rules.
▷ disregard also ignore /ˌdɪsrɪˈgɑːʳd, ɪgˈnɔːʳ/ [transitive verb]
to pay no attention to a law, rule, or to what someone has told you to do, and behave as if it does not affect you. Disregard is more formal than ignore :
▪ Many cyclists ignore the law and ride around at night without lights.
▪ I tell her to come home by 10 o'clock, but she just ignores me.
▪ Marlow sometimes disregards the law, but his aim is always justice.
▪ By disregarding speed limits and passing red lights, we somehow got to the airport in time.
disregard [uncountable noun]
▪ You have shown a total disregard for the law and for public safety.
▷ contravene /ˌkɒntrəˈviːnǁˌkɑːn-/ [transitive verb] formal
to break a particular written law, rule, or agreement :
▪ The sale of untreated milk may contravene public health regulations.
▪ If a licence holder contravenes any of these conditions, their licence will be withdrawn.
contravention /ˌkɒntrəˈvenʃ ə nǁˌkɑːn-/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a contravention of
▪ Driving faster than the speed limit is a contravention of the Road Traffic Act.
▪ The Security Council ruled that the country had acted in contravention of international law.
▷ flout /flaʊt/ [transitive verb]
flout a rule/law etc
to deliberately break a law or a rule, especially because you think it is unnecessary or stupid :
▪ Many bar owners flout the laws on under-age drinking.
▪ Thousands of people are killed on our roads every year, yet a majority of us insist on flouting speed limits.
3. someone who refuses to obey people, rules, laws etc
▷ disobedient /ˌdɪsəˈbiːdiənt◂, ˌdɪsəʊ-/ [adjective]
someone, especially a child, who is disobedient does not do what he or she is told to do by a parent, teacher etc :
▪ Lee stood before her like a disobedient schoolboy.
▪ She said that if we were disobedient she would send us home immediately.
disobedience [uncountable noun]
▪ Any act of disobedience was severely punished.
▷ defiant /dɪˈfaɪənt/ [adjective]
not obeying people in authority and showing that you have no respect for them :
▪ Her reply was clear and defiant.
▪ Defiant party members openly challenged the leadership.
defiant of somebody/something
▪ Demonstrators became increasingly defiant of police controls.
defiantly [adverb]
▪ The prisoners defiantly sang a revolutionary song as they were led away.
defiance [uncountable noun]
▪ She looked up at him with open defiance.
▪ In defiance of the law, the building was knocked down.
▷ rebellious /rɪˈbeljəs/ [adjective]
someone, especially a young person, who is rebellious deliberately disobeys people in authority such as their parents or teachers :
▪ Such extremist groups may well attract rebellious teenagers.
▪ Maria was headstrong and rebellious.
▷ rebel /ˈreb ə l/ [countable noun]
someone, especially a young person, who behaves in a completely different way from the way people are expected to behave by society and by people in authority :
▪ In his black leather jacket and chains he looked every inch the young rebel.
▪ She was a rebel, who horrified her family by rejecting a promising career in law to become an actor.