abide
verb
Simple meaning
To endure without yielding.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhbydSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈbaɪd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To endure without yielding; to withstand.
transitive
To pay for; to stand the consequences of.
transitive
To bear patiently.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To endure without yielding; to withstand.
This specific meaning of 'abide' is quite similar to the previous one, highlighting endurance and toleration. It's often used with 'cannot' to express a strong dislike or refusal to tolerate something unpleasant.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where you'll really hear it
Everyday conversation
“I cannot abide rude behavior; it really gets on my nerves.”
Character descriptions
“She could not abide unfairness, always standing up for others.”
Formal complaints
“We cannot abide such poor service from your company.”
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.