What does abide mean?
To abide is to accept and conform to something — most commonly a rule, law, agreement, or decision — a sense that almost always appears in the phrase 'abide by', as in 'both parties agreed to abide by the terms of the contract'. A second, very common use pairs the verb with a modal: if you cannot abide something or someone, you find them intolerable, so 'I can't abide rudeness' expresses strong distaste rather than mere annoyance. In older or more literary English, abide could simply mean to remain, stay, or dwell in a place, and this sense survives in fossilized forms such as 'abiding' (lasting) and 'law-abiding'. Derived from Old English through Middle English, the word once had a broader family, including the noun 'abode'. Today abide sounds somewhat formal and is at home in legal, institutional, and moral language, where it connotes steadfastness, patience, and respect for established authority.
verbTo accept or act in accordance with a rule, decision, or recommendation; or (with 'can/could not') to tolerate or bear someone or something.
- To accept and act in accordance with a rule, agreement, or decision (almost always with 'by').
- (With 'can/could' and usually negative) To tolerate or bear a person or thing.
- (Formal/literary) To continue or dwell in a place or state; to remain.
"She refused to abide by the committee's ruling and appealed the decision."
"All members are expected to abide by the club's code of conduct."
"I can't abide people who talk during films."
"He chose to abide in the quiet of the countryside."
Abide is the last survivor of an old English verb family — its sibling noun 'abode' still means home, but only 'abide' kept living on as the word for sticking by the rules.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of abide
Abide comes from Old English ābīdan, formed from the prefix ā- plus bīdan ('to wait, remain'), which traces back to Proto-Germanic roots meaning to endure or await. It entered Middle English with the senses of waiting, remaining, and enduring, and later developed the ideas of dwelling and tolerating. The noun abode derives from the same Old English source, making them true siblings within English rather than borrowings from another language.
Related word forms
How abide is actually used
'Abide by' is the dominant modern use and appears in formal and legal contexts. The toleration sense requires a modal verb ('can't abide', 'couldn't abide') and carries a tone of strong dislike. The bare senses 'to remain' or 'to dwell' are now literary or archaic, though they survive in fixed phrases like 'law-abiding'.
Easily confused with abide
Bide means to wait or remain patiently (as in 'bide one's time'), whereas abide usually means to comply with rules or, negatively, to tolerate something.
Adobe is a sun-dried brick or clay building material, unrelated in meaning to abide despite the similar spelling.