What does "abide" mean?
To endure without yielding; to withstand.
Abide
/əˈbaɪd/ verb
verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To endure without yielding; to withstand.
- Grammar: abide is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bear, brook, endure, stay.
- Useful contrasts: breach, depart, despise.
- Usage evidence: You should abide by the consequences.
How to use "abide"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "abide" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "abide" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "abide" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "abide" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "abide" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bear" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "abide", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To endure without yielding; to withstand. transitive
"The old oak tree abides the wind endlessly."
- 2 put up with something or somebody unpleasant wordnet
- 3 To bear patiently. transitive
""I never could abide shoemakers," said an old servant,—and it ended in her marrying one."
- 4 dwell wordnet
- 5 To pay for; to stand the consequences of. transitive
"Diſparage not the faith thou doſt not know, / Leſt to thy perill thou abide it deare."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 Used in a phrasal verb: abide by (“to accept and act in accordance with”).
"The new teacher was strict and the students did not want to abide by his rules."
- 7 To wait in expectation. intransitive, obsolete
"And Abraham ſaid vnto his yong men, Abide you here with the aſſe, and I and the lad will goe yonder and worſhip, and come againe to you."
- 8 To pause; to delay. intransitive, obsolete
- 9 To stay; to continue in a place; to remain stable or fixed in some state or condition; to be left. Scotland, archaic, intransitive
"One generation passeth away, and another generation commeth: but the earth abideth for euer."
- 10 To have one's abode. archaic, intransitive
""As how, my lambkin," blushing, she replide, / "Because I in this dancing schoole abide? / If that it be, that breede's this discontent, / We will remoue the camp incontinent: / For shelter onelie, sweete heart, came I hither, / And to auoide the troblous stormie weather; / But now the coaste is cleare, we will be gonne, / Since, but thy self, true louer I haue none.""
- 11 To endure; to remain; to last. archaic, intransitive
"The Dude abides."
- 12 To stand ready for; to await for someone; watch for. archaic, transitive
"Saue that the holy Ghoſt witneſſeth in euery city, ſaying that bonds and afflictions abide me."
- 13 To endure or undergo a hard trial or a task; to stand up under. obsolete, transitive
"[…]And shalt abide her judgment on it."
- 14 To await submissively; accept without question; submit to. archaic, transitive
"The grand Conſpirator, Abbot of Weſtminſter, / With clog of Conſcience, and ſowre Melancholly, / Hath yeelded vp his body to the graue : / But here is Carlile, liuing to abide / Thy Kingly doome, and ſentence of his pride."
Example
"You should abide by the consequences."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "abide"?
Common synonyms include: bear, brook, endure, stay, tolerate, abide in.
How do you use "abide" in a sentence?
You should abide by the consequences.
How do you pronounce "abide"?
Pronounced /əˈbaɪd/.
Etymology
From Middle English abyden, from Old English ābīdan (“to abide, wait, remain, delay, remain behind; survive; wait for, await; expect”), from Proto-West Germanic *uʀbīdan, from Proto-Germanic *uzbīdaną (“to expect, tolerate”), equivalent to a- + bide. Cognate with Scots abide (“to abide, remain”), Middle High German erbīten (“to await, expect”), Gothic 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (usbeidan, “to expect, await, have patience”). The sense of pay for is due to influence from aby.