Disobey Definition, Usage & Examples

Meaning 1：refuse to obey (disobey)

disobey 🔊

/ˌdɪs.əˈbeɪ/

to not do what a person, rule, or law tells you to do.

Teenager disobeying parent by refusing to put away phone at dinner table

refuse to obey 🔊

➕

/rɪˈfjuːz tə əˈbeɪ/

To intentionally not follow instructions, rules, or laws given by someone in authority.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'dis-' (not) and 'obedire' (to obey), meaning to not comply.

💡 Mnemonic

Dis + obey = 'this is wrong' + obey; imagine a sign saying 'Disobey' to remember refusing orders.

📖 Example

If you disobey the safety instructions at the swimming pool, you might be asked to leave. 🔊 If you do not follow the safety rules at the swimming pool, you might be asked to leave.

🔗 Collocations

disobey an order – to refuse to carry out a command given by a superior

disobey the law – to break or violate a legal rule

disobey a parent – to deliberately not do what a mother or father says

🔄 Synonyms

defy (v.) – to openly resist or refuse to obey authority

violate (v.) – to break a rule, law, or agreement

flout (v.) – to openly disregard a rule, law, or convention

🚫 Antonyms

obey (v.) – to follow orders, rules, or instructions

comply (v.) – to act in accordance with a rule, wish, or command

adhere (v.) – to remain loyal to a rule, principle, or belief

🌱 Derivatives

disobedient (adj.) – refusing to obey rules or someone in authority

disobedience (n.) – the act of refusing to obey

disobeyed (v.) – past tense of disobey

📖 Cultural Story

The prefix 'dis-' reverses 'obey', from Latin 'disobedire'. Used in legal and religious contexts for centuries to describe defiance of authority.