as in to ignore
to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of
students who disobey their teachers and use cell phones in class drivers who consistently disobey traffic laws
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Recent Examples of disobey
At the end of a two-day hearing that saw Giuliani take the stand, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman agreed with the election workers that the former New York City mayor willfully disobeyed requirements to turn over information about his professional services and messaging accounts.
—
Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025
Philippine police have filed criminal complaints against Duterte and her security staff for allegedly assaulting authorities and disobeying orders in an altercation in Congress over the brief detention of her chief of staff, who was accused of hampering the congressional inquiry.
—Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
Also not computing: Where the hell does Ben get off disobeying Chief Altman’s orders?
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Hutchison is nominally a private company in Hong Kong, but in the Communist Party's system, no entity in the People's Republic can ignore or disobey an order from the ruling organization.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobey
Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025
Philippine police have filed criminal complaints against Duterte and her security staff for allegedly assaulting authorities and disobeying orders in an altercation in Congress over the brief detention of her chief of staff, who was accused of hampering the congressional inquiry.
—Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
Also not computing: Where the hell does Ben get off disobeying Chief Altman’s orders?
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Hutchison is nominally a private company in Hong Kong, but in the Communist Party's system, no entity in the People's Republic can ignore or disobey an order from the ruling organization.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disobey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disobey
Verb
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Prison staff had ignored warning signs of his suicide, the lawsuit claims.—
Thomas C. Zambito,
USA TODAY,
17 Feb. 2025
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Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year.—
Boutayna Chokrane,
WIRED,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey was among those saying the group had not violated any laws.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
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Investigators subsequently tracked down and arrested Nathan on a charge of violating an injunction barring contact with the child and her mother.—
David J. Neal and,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Take Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, who went ethereal in her white macramé cotton lace bustier gown (with a breastplate that defied gravity—get it?).—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
16 Feb. 2025
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Meanwhile, armed with a translation device developed by sympathetic science crew member Dorothy (Patsy Ferran), Mickey 17 defies Marshall’s leadership to warn the creepers, who have their own resilient means of retaliation.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Half a day, gone like that, just browsing and discovering and then being unable to resist buying.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
22 Feb. 2025
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Ukraine has tried to resist a total capitulation to American demands on natural resources, but has faced intense pressure from President Trump, who views access to Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth as necessary repayment for the billions the United States has provided Kyiv for its war against Russia.—
Constant Méheut,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Cuba’s foreign minister mocked NED on social media.—
Peter Roskam,
National Review,
26 Feb. 2025
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Musk also mocked people who criticized the order on X, noting that workers could respond by asking an AI chatbot — such as Grok, owned by X — to create a list of accomplished tasks.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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For example, the association opposes the federal Community Reinvestment Act, which is designed to encourage lending to lower-income and other groups but which, the ABA said, discourages bankers from offering certain products or lending outside of their area networks.—
Russ Wiles,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
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No executions have been carried out in Louisiana since 2010 due to the state’s struggles to get the drugs necessary for lethal injection and scant political will (Landry’s predecessor, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, was opposed to the death penalty).—
Dakin Andone,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disobey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disobey. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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