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abide

[uh-bahyd]

Example Sentences Origin

verb (used without object)

to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.

to have one's abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village.

to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.

verb (used with object)

to put up with; tolerate; stand: I can't abide dishonesty!

to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting: to abide a vigorous onslaught.

to wait for; await: to abide the coming of the Lord.

to accept without opposition or question: to abide the verdict of the judges.

to pay the price or penalty of; suffer for.

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Abide is one of our favorite verbs.

So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.

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Verb phrase

abide by,

to act in accord with.

to submit to; agree to: to abide by the court's decision.

to remain steadfast or faithful to; keep: If you make a promise, abide by it.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English abiden, Old English ābīdan; cognate with Old High German irbītan await, Gothic usbeisns expectation, patience. See a-³, bide

Related forms

a·bid·er, noun

Synonyms
1. tarry. 2. live. 3. persevere, endure. 4. bear, endure, brook; support.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To abide

Example Sentences

They should act like adults who, while they may have a healthy dislike of laws, nonetheless they abide by them.

If hired, I agree to abide by these statements.

Harper said he expects foreign ships to abide by the new requirement.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

abide (əˈbaɪd)

—vb (foll by by) , abides, abiding, abode, abided
1.	(tr) to tolerate; put up with
2.	(tr) to accept or submit to; suffer: to abide the court's decision
3.	a. to comply (with): to abide by the decision
	b. to remain faithful (to): to abide by your promise
4.	(intr) to remain or continue
5.	archaic (intr) to dwell
6.	archaic (tr) to await in expectation
7.	archaic (tr) to withstand or sustain; endure: to abide the onslaught

[Old English ābīdan, from a- (intensive) + bīdan to wait, bide]

a'bidance

—n

a'bider

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

abide

O.E. abidan, gebidan "remain," from ge- completive prefix (denoting onward motion; see a- (1)) + bidan "bide, remain, wait, dwell" (see bide). Originally intransitive (with genitive of the object: we abidon his "we waited for him"); transitive sense

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emerged in M.E. Meaning "to put up with" (now usually negative) first recorded 1520s. The historical conjugation is abide, abode, abidden, but the modern formation is now generally weak.

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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

abide

In addition to the idioms beginning with abide, also see can't stand (abide).