INDEX:
1. to obey someone
2. to obey a law, rule, or custom
3. always doing what you are told to do
4. too willing to do what you are told to do
5. when you have to do whatever someone tells you to do
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ DISOBEY
see also
↑ LAW
↑ TELL SB OFF
↑ ILLEGAL
↑ RULE/REGULATION
↑ BEHAVE
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1. to obey someone
▷ obey /əʊˈbeɪ, ə-/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to do what someone in authority tells you to do :
▪ Soldiers must always obey their commanding officer.
▪ I knew that if I didn’t obey, I would be shot.
obey an order/command/instruction
▪ You can teach most dogs to obey simple commands.
▪ War criminals tried to justify their actions by saying that they were only obeying orders.
▷ follow /ˈfɒləʊǁˈfɑː-/ [transitive verb]
to do what someone tells you to do, wants you to do, or thinks you should do :
follow orders/instructions
▪ He was a military man, and therefore used to following orders.
▪ I have followed your instructions exactly.
follow somebody’s advice
▪ Visitors to the city should follow police advice and not resist muggers.
follow somebody’s orders/instructions etc to the letter
do exactly what someone tells you
▪ You will not make a mistake if you follow these instructions to the letter.
▷ do what/as somebody says /ˌduː wɒt, əz somebody ˈsez/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
to do what someone has advised or ordered you to do :
▪ I did what you said and took half a pill instead of a whole one.
▪ ‘Sit down and listen,’ Matt said. I did as he said.
do as I say
used by adults to tell children to do something
▪ I’m your father, and you’ll do as I say.
▷ do as you’re told /ˌduː əz jɔːʳ ˈtəʊld/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
to obey someone and not do anything different - used by parents or teachers to tell children to do something :
▪ If she doesn’t do as she’s told, send her to her room.
▷ on-message /ɒn ˈmedɪdʒ/ [adjective/adverb]
if a politician is on-message he or she is always publicly willing to support the ideas and aims of their party and to do what their leaders want them to do - used especially in newspapers :
▪ The party leadership is desperately trying to get several senior members of the government back on-message.
▪ Those who were firmly on-message dutifully defended the prime minister’s actions to the media.
2. to obey a law, rule, or custom
▷ obey /əʊˈbeɪ, ə-/ [transitive verb]
to do what a law or rule says you must do :
▪ Drivers obey speed laws only when they think the police are near.
obey the law
▪ All citizens must obey the law and be loyal to the Constitution.
obey the rules
▪ She was one of those people who obeyed the rules and was never irresponsible.
▷ comply with /kəmˈplaɪ wɪð/ [transitive verb] formal
if you comply with a law or a decision, you do what it says you must do :
▪ Companies must comply with European employment laws.
▪ Failure to comply with these conditions could result in prosecution.
▷ abide by /əˈbaɪd baɪ/ [transitive verb]
to accept and obey a decision, rule, agreement etc, even though you may not agree with it :
▪ Those are the rules and regulations -- we don’t make them but we have to abide by them.
▪ Players have to abide by the referee’s decision.
▪ Generally, journalists abide by an agreed code of practice.
▷ keep to /ˈkiːp tə/ [transitive verb]
to always obey the law or rules closely and not ignore them :
▪ If you keep to the rules nothing can go wrong.
▪ Keep to the law, but apart from that, do whatever you have to do to find this man.
▪ Do you always keep to the speed limit when you’re driving?
▷ stick to the rules /ˌstɪk tə ðə ˈruːlz/ [verb phrase] informal
to do something exactly as it should be done, especially so that there is no chance of anything going wrong :
▪ Everyone in the party has a responsibility to stick to the rules agreed by the party conference.
▪ Failure to stick to the safety rules could result in disaster.
▷ conform to /kənˈfɔːʳm tuː/ [transitive verb]
to be correct according to a rule or regulation :
▪ British meat products now have to conform to strict hygiene regulations.
▪ Many classroom interactions do not conform to the rules of normal conversation.
▷ observe /əbˈzɜːʳv/ [transitive verb] formal
to take notice of and obey rules, laws, customs etc :
▪ You can avoid danger by observing these simple rules.
▪ Too many accidents are occurring at work because employers are not observing safety regulations.
▪ We try to observe the local customs so that we don’t offend people.
observance [uncountable noun]
▪ The police ensure strict observance of the law.
▷ respect /rɪˈspekt/ [transitive verb] formal
to obey the law or customs of a place, especially because you believe it is important to obey them :
▪ The President is expected to respect the constitution.
▪ He’s an honest, responsible citizen who respects the law and is dedicated to his family.
▷ toe the line /ˌtəʊ ðə ˈlaɪn/ [verb phrase]
to obey the rules and behave in an acceptable way in your job or in an organization, even if you do not want to, do not agree etc :
▪ They didn’t agree, but as government employees they had to toe the line.
▪ Gail realized that she had to toe the line if she wanted to keep her job.
▷ go by the book/do something by the book /ˌgəʊ baɪ ðə ˈbʊk, duː something baɪ ðə ˈbʊk/ [verb phrase]
to do something exactly according to the rules or instructions, rather than in your own way :
▪ Police must always go completely by the book when making arrests.
▪ My financial advisor is very straight - he does everything by the book.
3. always doing what you are told to do
▷ obedient /əˈbiːdiənt/ [adjective]
someone who is obedient always does what their parents, teachers, or people in authority tell them to do - use this especially about children :
▪ Bruno was a quiet and obedient little boy.
▪ Research shows that pupils who are good at maths tend to be more conformist and obedient than other pupils.
obedient to
▪ The majority of people were obedient to the King, not questioning his government.
▷ obedience /əˈbiːdiəns/ [uncountable noun]
obedient behaviour :
obedience to
▪ Young children are expected to show obedience to their parents.
absolute/complete/total obedience
▪ The General demanded absolute obedience from his men.
▷ law-abiding /ˈlɔː əˌbaɪdɪŋ/ [adjective]
always obeying the law because you think this is the right thing to do :
▪ These men are all decent, tax-paying, law-abiding people.
▪ There is a tendency to look back at a time when people were more peaceful and law-abiding.
▷ dutiful /ˈdjuːtɪf ə lǁˈduː-/ [adjective usually before noun]
always doing what you are expected to do and always behaving in a loyal and obedient way :
▪ Tom Campbell has been a loyal and dutiful employee of this firm for 25 years.
▪ She rejected the traditional female roles of docile daughter and dutiful wife.
▷ disciplined /ˈdɪsɪplənd, ˈdɪsəplənd/ [adjective]
a group of people that is disciplined has developed obedience or has been trained to be obedient :
▪ They are a well-trained, disciplined and efficient fighting force.
well-disciplined
▪ The workforce is well-disciplined and eager to work.
4. too willing to do what you are told to do
▷ submissive /səbˈmɪsɪv/ [adjective]
always willing to do what someone tells you to do even if it is unpleasant or they ask you in an unpleasant way :
▪ My father was a violent, demanding man, who expected my mother to be completely submissive.
▪ If you constantly try to make someone happy, you end up becoming submissive, saying yes when you don’t really mean it.
submissively [adverb]
▪ Carrigan smiled submissively and did what he was told.
▷ yes-man /ˈjes mæn/ [countable noun] informal
someone who always agrees with and obeys their employer or leader etc :
▪ It’s no good applying for a job with him unless you’re happy being a yes-man.
▪ She packed the committees with yes-men and then did just what she liked.
▷ servile /ˈsɜːʳvaɪlǁ-v ə l, -vaɪl/ [adjective]
obeying someone too eagerly and showing them too much respect :
▪ The driver asked in a servile tone for more instructions.
▪ He was young and hard-working, though annoyingly servile.
▷ subservient /səbˈsɜːʳviənt/ [adjective]
someone who is subservient is always willing to do what people tell them to do and behaves as if they expect to be told what to do :
▪ The waiter had an excessively subservient manner that made us very uncomfortable.
subservient to
▪ What she hated about being a nurse was having to be so subservient to doctors.
▷ slavish /ˈsleɪvɪʃ/ [adjective]
slavish obedience/compliance/conformity etc
obeying much too easily without thinking or asking questions :
▪ The women’s slavish obedience disgusted me.
▪ He was able to manipulate their slavish willingness to serve in the name of patriotism.
slavishly [adverb]
▪ She made all the decisions, gave all the orders, and Ramón slavishly complied.
▷ compliant /kəmˈplaɪənt/ [adjective]
too obedient because you are used to obeying people or because you are afraid not to obey :
▪ It’s depressing to see an intelligent, spirited young woman like her turning into a meek and compliant wife.
▪ Patients who are less compliant may be forced to take medication against their will.
▷ blind obedience /ˌblaɪnd əˈbiːdiəns/ [uncountable noun]
when someone does whatever someone else tells them to do, without thinking for themselves about whether it is right or wrong :
▪ With blind obedience, I allowed Victor to organize my life.
▷ lackey /ˈlæki/ [countable noun]
someone who is always too willing to do what someone else, especially someone in authority, tells them to do, even when this is wrong :
▪ Many employees regarded Human Resources staff as little more than management lackeys.
▪ Some poeple in the UK were worried that their country might be regarded as simply being a lackey of the US.
5. when you have to do whatever someone tells you to do
▷ you’re the boss/she’s the boss etc /ˌjɔːʳ ðə ˈbɒsǁ-ˈbɔːs/ spoken
say this when you feel you have to do whatever someone says, even if you disagree :
▪ Personally, I don’t like dark-coloured wallpaper, but you’re the boss.
▪ If he tells you to do something, you do it, no questions, because he’s the boss.
▷ be under somebody’s/the thumb /biː ˌʌndəʳ somebodyˈs, ðə ˈθʌm/ [verb phrase]
to be so strongly influenced by someone so that they control you completely and you do anything that they want you to do :
▪ The President, senators, and deputies are all under the thumb of the military.
have somebody under your thumb
▪ It was widely known that the mafia had the union under their thumb.
▷ be at somebody’s beck and call /biː ət somebodyˈs ˌbek ən ˈkɔːl/ [verb phrase]
if you are at someone’s beck and call, they are always telling you to do things for them, and you always have to be ready to do things for them :
▪ I have never liked to be at anybody’s beck and call.
▪ She was always rushing around at her mother’s beck and call.