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Definitions

disobey

[dis-uh-bay] / ˌdɪs əˈbeɪ /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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He and his representatives are now threatening Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Iran and Greenland, with Venezuela serving as an object lesson of what may happen if a country dares to disobey his wishes.

From Salon ● Jan. 6, 2026

“You can’t put on the screen that it’s right for a young girl to disobey her father,” Nava recalled Quintanilla saying.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2025

I was also briefed multiple times on my duty to disobey unlawful orders.

From Slate ● Dec. 3, 2025

If it is unclear whether an order is illegal, the law’s message is simple: Obey and you are likely protected; disobey and you shoulder the risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

Even though her body language was serene, Nali’s eyes contained a lake of fire, and he didn’t dare disobey.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

“When he disobeys the rules and gets called out, he goes, ‘Well those moral rules are unjust.’”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2025

Black hair disobeys temporality as surely as it does gravity ...

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2022

As events inevitably spiral and Tamar repeatedly dodges or disobeys orders to exfiltrate herself and Milad, credibility and plot contrivance do a wild dance.

From New York Times ● May 10, 2022

While each service has developed its own process, all are following existing rules for when a service member disobeys a lawful order.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2021

Call her name, I tell my mouth, but it, too, disobeys.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

"If I had disobeyed my mother and gone to New York, what might have happened to me?" asks Gláucia Fekete.

From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026

"Irancell disobeyed the orders of the decision-making institutions in implementing the announced policies regarding the restriction of internet access in crisis situations," the agency said.

From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026

She disobeyed the order, explaining that because of what was happening in Los Angeles, “I just felt like I needed to do it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2025

The administration disobeyed that completely, and Boasberg has been understandably upset, which only got worse as he asked for more information and was repeatedly rebuffed.

From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2025

“Your sister disobeyed Boreas. She’s working with the giants, trying to raise Gaea. She’s planning to take over your father’s throne.”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Back when Hal was still a novelty to the public, we see 10-year-old John disobeying his father’s TV ban to watch the hero’s first-ever interview on “60 Minutes.”

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Separating from the military takes months, and will almost certainly be complicated by a red flag in one’s record for disobeying orders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

“We believe, however, that given the high societal importance of this topic, it was crucial to conduct a study of this kind, even if it meant disobeying the rules.”

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2025

Last month fines went up ten-fold for blocking the road or disobeying the police and Tamar Oniani says in one day alone they received 150 calls from protesters who had been fined.

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2025

As he pressed the newspapers deeper into the garbage pail, Eliot felt that he and Mrs. Sen were disobeying some unspoken rule.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri




Vocabulary lists containing disobey


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