verb

abide

to abide by, to tolerate, to dwell

You must abide by the rules.

You must abide by the rules.

I can't abide his constant complaining.

I can't abide his constant complaining.

((by sth.)) to accept or follow a rule or decision You must abide by the rules.

((sb./sth.)) (in negative) to be unable to tolerate I can't abide his constant complaining.

Synonyms: (abide by) follow, obey; (can't abide) detest, hate; Antonyms: (abide by) ignore, disobey

From Old English 'abidan', from 'a-' (on) + 'bidan' (to wait, remain).

To 'abide by' the rules means you 'stay by' them. If you 'can't abide' someone, you can't 'stay' with them.

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