The Collaborative International Dictionary
Abide \A*bide"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Abode, formerly Abid; p. pr. & vb. n. Abiding.] [AS. [=a]b[=i]dan; pref. [=a]- (cf. Goth. us-, G. er-, orig. meaning out) + b[=i]dan to bide. See Bide.]
To wait; to pause; to delay. [Obs.]
--Chaucer.-
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.
--Gen. xxiv. 55. -
To remain stable or fixed in some state or condition; to continue; to remain. Let every man abide in the same calling. --1 Cor. vii. 20. [1913 Webster] Followed by by: To abide by.
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To stand to; to adhere; to maintain.
The poor fellow was obstinate enough to abide by what he said at first.
--Fielding. To acquiesce; to conform to; as, to abide by a decision or an award.
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Usage examples of "to abide by".
In recent centuries we have agreed to abide by the peace and keep our distance.
With the council, it means that I get to vote, when issues come up, and that I have to abide by their rules.
Far from agreeing to Henry's terms, the Scots became more bitter and tenacious, refusing to abide by the treaties with the English and reaffirming their ties to France.
The litigants were compelled to abide by the judgments, not merely because the decisions were always wise and creatively fair, but because the judges' race would, if its decisions were questioned as suspect, destroy itself.
For one thing, while he could sometimes get the crew to stay out of the mess hall during a cleanup period, he had no chance of ever convincing an officer to abide by that rule.