definition of the word abide

From Old English ābīdan. From a- (intensive) + bīdan to wait. See to bide.

• UK: IPA: /əˈbaɪd/
• (US) IPA: /əˈbɑjd/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}
• Rhymes: -aɪd

to abide (third-person singular simple present abides, present participle abiding, simple past abode or abided, past participle abode, abided, or (rare), abidden)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To wait; to pause; to delay.
2. (intransitive) To stay; to continue in a place; to have one's abode; to dwell; to sojourn; -- with with before a person, and commonly with at or in before a place.

   "Let the damsel abide with us a few days." - Genesis 24:55

3. (intransitive) To remain stable or fixed in some state or condition; to continue; to remain.

   "Let every man abide in the same calling." - 1 Corinthians 7:20

4. (transitive, obsolete with a personal object) To wait for; to be prepared for; to await; to watch for; as, I abide my time.

   "I will abide the coming of my lord." - Tennyson

   "Bonds and afflictions abide me." - Acts 20:23

5. (transitive) To endure; to sustain; to submit to.

   "[Thou] shalt abide her judgment on it." - Tennyson

6. (transitive) To bear patiently; to tolerate; to put up with.

   "She could not abide Master Shallow." - Shakespeare, Henry IV Part 2, III-ii

7. (transitive, confused with aby "to pay for") To stand the consequences of; to answer for; to suffer for.

   "Dearly I abide that boast so vain," - Milton

• The negative form can't abide is commonly used to indicate strong dislike. Similarly can't stand.

• "The Dude abides." Jeff Bridges, from "The Big Lebowski" a Coen Brothers movie.

• abide by

Definition from Wiktionary Content avaible with GNU Free Documentation License

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