dictionary definitions for "abide"


From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:

  abide
      v 1: dwell; "You can stay with me while you are in town"; "stay a
           bit longer--the day is still young" [syn: bide,
           stay]
      2: put up with something or somebody unpleasant; "I cannot bear
         his constant criticism"; "The new secretary had to endure
         a lot of unprofessional remarks"; "he learned to tolerate
         the heat"; "She stuck out two years in a miserable
         marriage" [syn: digest, endure, stick out,
         stomach, bear, stand, tolerate, support,
         brook, suffer, put up]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Abide \A*bide"\, v. t.
     1. 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.
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     Note: [[Obs.], with a personal object.
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                 Bonds and afflictions abide me.    --Acts xx. 23.
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     2. To endure; to sustain; to submit to.
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              [Thou] shalt abide her judgment on it. --Tennyson.
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     3. To bear patiently; to tolerate; to put up with.
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              She could not abide Master Shallow.   --Shak.
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     4.
  
     Note: [Confused with aby to pay for. See Aby.] To stand the
           consequences of; to answer for; to suffer for.
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                 Dearly I abide that boast so vain. --Milton.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Abide \A*bide"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Abode, formerly Abid;
     p. pr. & vb. n. Abiding.] [AS. [=a]b[imac]dan; pref. [=a]-
     (cf. Goth. us-, G. er-, orig. meaning out) + b[imac]dan to
     bide. See Bide.]
     1. To wait; to pause; to delay. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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     2. 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.
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              Let the damsel abide with us a few days. --Gen.
                                                    xxiv. 55.
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     3. To remain stable or fixed in some state or condition; to
        continue; to remain.
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              Let every man abide in the same calling. --1 Cor.
                                                    vii. 20.
        [1913 Webster] Followed by by:
  
     To abide by.
        (a) To stand to; to adhere; to maintain.
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                  The poor fellow was obstinate enough to abide by
                  what he said at first.            --Fielding.
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        (b) To acquiesce; to conform to; as, to abide by a
            decision or an award.
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