disobey
verb
dis·obey
ˌdis-ə-ˈbā 
-ō-
disobeyed; disobeying; disobeys
: to be disobedient
: to fail to obey
disobeyer
noun
Examples of disobey in a Sentence
If you disobey, you will be severely punished.
The soldier disobeyed the general's orders.
He was afraid to disobey his father.
The driver had disobeyed the law.
Recent Examples on the Web
What is the penalty for disobeying a traffic signal?
—
Emery Glover, Des Moines Register, 16 Feb. 2026
Service members are only required to follow orders that are lawful and have a duty to disobey commands that are patently unlawful, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Feb. 2026
The lawmakers didn’t refer to any specific orders in their video but reminded service members they are allowed to disobey orders that violate the law.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 11 Feb. 2026
That means returning to a focus on immigrants with criminal records (including those with nonviolent offenses such as illegally reentering the United States) and those who disobey deportation orders from immigration courts.
—Nick Miroff, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disobey
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Emery Glover, Des Moines Register, 16 Feb. 2026
Service members are only required to follow orders that are lawful and have a duty to disobey commands that are patently unlawful, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Feb. 2026
The lawmakers didn’t refer to any specific orders in their video but reminded service members they are allowed to disobey orders that violate the law.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 11 Feb. 2026
That means returning to a focus on immigrants with criminal records (including those with nonviolent offenses such as illegally reentering the United States) and those who disobey deportation orders from immigration courts.
—Nick Miroff, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disobey
Cite this Entry
“Disobey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disobey. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
disobey
verb
dis·obey
ˌdis-ə-ˈbā
: to refuse, neglect, or fail to obey
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