abidea‧bide /əˈbaɪd/ verb 
I can’t abide that man – he’s so self-satisfied.2 (past tense abode /əˈbəʊd $ əˈboʊd/) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] old use to live somewhereabide by something phrasal verb to accept and obey a decision, rule, agreement etc, even though you may not agree with it: You have to abide by the referee’s decision.
WORD ORIGINabide
Origin:
Old English abidan, from bidan; ➔ BIDEVERB TABLE
abide
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | abide |
| he, she, it | abides | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | abided, abode |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have abided |
| he, she, it | has abided | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had abided |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will abide |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have abided |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am abiding |
| he, she, it | is abiding | |
| you, we, they | are abiding | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was abiding |
| you, we, they | were abiding | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been abiding |
| he, she, it | has been abiding | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been abiding |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be abiding |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been abiding |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- Agreement to abide by the laws of the land is not enough.
- Mr Major insisted that the Government would abide by normal parliamentary procedures.
- President Aquino said she would abide by the court's decision.
- This abiding relationship extended to all aspects of life, including daily existence.
- Those abiding by the spending ceiling can accept contributions at the current level of $ 750.
- What position are they in to make certain the prisoners abide by the rules of their temporary release?
- Whatever the reason for a refusal, the church musician has to abide by the publisher's decision.
Longman Language Activatorto obey a law, rule, or custom
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
when a situation is so bad that you cannot stand it also can't bear especially British to be unable to accept an unpleasant situation: · Europeans never stay there for long. They can't stand the heat.· I can't bear the smell of stale cigarette smoke in her hair.can't stand/bear the thought of something: · She couldn't stand the thought of losing her children.can't stand/bear to do something/can't stand/bear doing something: · I couldn't bear to listen to her screams.
especially spoken to be unable to accept an unpleasant situation without becoming angry or upset, especially when someone's behaviour is not fair or reasonable: · Careful what you say - he can't take criticism.· She just keeps crying and throwing tantrums - I can't handle much more of it.can't take/handle something any more: · I just couldn't take it any more. I left the next day.
to be unable to stand something because thinking about it makes you feel sick or angry: · He really can't stomach the sight of blood.
formal to be completely unable to stand someone or something that is very annoying: · If there's one thing I cannot abide, it's spoilt children.· Mary couldn't abide shopping on Saturdays because the stores were always so crowded.
something that is unbearable , such as a pain or a bad situation, is too bad for you to deal with or live with: · Without him, my life would be unbearable.· The stench from the sink was almost unbearable.· The strain eventually became unbearable, and Adam started seeing a psychiatrist.
too difficult, unpleasant, or annoying to stand: · Living conditions at the camp were intolerable.· Passengers faced intolerable delays and disruption due to the bad weather conditions.· All the media attention during the trial had put the family under intolerable strain.
something that is unacceptable is wrong and cannot be accepted or allowed to continue: · Most women said they thought the ruling was unfair and unacceptable.· The plan was rejected because it involved an "unacceptable risk to public safety'.· We regard the idea of being able to choose the sex of your baby as wholly unacceptable.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a law-abiding citizen
(=never breaking the law)· Most of the people in this town are law-abiding citizens.
(=an interest you have had for a long time)· She has had a long-term interest in antiques.
a law-abiding citizen (=that you will always have)· The children's abiding memory of their father is of his patience and gentleness.
formal (=obey it)· All members must comply with the rules of the organization.· There is little that one country can do if another fails to abide by the rules.· We expect you to observe the general rules of conduct as set out below.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· What regulations, rules or guidelines do environmental consultants have to abide by?
NOUN· He had expected everybody to abide by the rules he had applied to his own life.· What position are they in to make certain the prisoners abide by the rules of their temporary release?· Commercials that don't abide by the rules.· His generosity does not abide by our rules.
VERB· He has authority to settle the dispute, for they agreed to abide by his decision.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1somebody can’t abide somebody/something used to say that someone dislikes someone or something very much: - I can't abide the idea of them getting married.
- Both were said to be of no fixed abode, although they originate from the Old Swan district of Liverpool.
- I was of no fixed abode, but I'd finished my time so they still let me go.
- Welcome to our humble abode.
I can’t abide that man – he’s so self-satisfied.2 (past tense abode /əˈbəʊd $ əˈboʊd/) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] old use to live somewhereabide by something phrasal verb to accept and obey a decision, rule, agreement etc, even though you may not agree with it: You have to abide by the referee’s decision.