Abided By: Meaning and Examples

"Abide by" is a phrasal verb that means to follow, obey, or adhere to a rule, law, agreement, code of conduct, or a set of principles.

The phrase implies a commitment to conform to a particular standard, regulation, or expectation. When someone abides by something, they act in accordance with it and do not violate or deviate from it.

For instance, imagine you are a member of a volunteer club that has a set of rules and regulations. To maintain a positive and inclusive environment, the club expects all members to abide by, or follow, these rules. During a meeting, the leader of the club says, "In our club, we value fairness and respect, so we expect all members to abide by our rules, which include treating each other with kindness and participating in a friendly manner." All members are expected to follow the rules in order to maintain order and smooth operation within the club.

Here are two more example sentences:

As citizens, we must abide by the laws of our country.

In this example, the subjects of the sentence are expected to follow the laws of the nation as citizens. They are not to break the law or deviate from being law-abiding citizens.

The participants agreed to abide by the directions of the experiment.

In this sentence, the participants consented to follow the directions of the experiment. They are to obey the instructions of the experiment and adhere to its rules.

"Abide by" is often used in contexts where compliance and adherence to rules or guidelines are essential.

Abide by, abide to, abide with: Which is correct?

Out of "abide by," "abide to," and "abide with," "abide by" is by far the most common and most preferred by English native speakers. Some argue that "abide by" is the only correct variant, while others argue that the different variants are used in different situations. Meanwhile, some claim that two of the three are acceptable variants while the last one is incorrect.

Language is constantly evolving and writers may get creative when using certain words, which may give birth to new variants of a phrase. Although it is heavily argued which variant (or variants) are correct, it will most likely be safe to use the most common "abide by." If you are a non-native speaker of English and unsure of what variant of a hotly debated word or phrase to use, it is usually best to go with the most commonly used one.

The use of "abide by" across time

As shown in the Google Books Ngram Viewer, "abide by" has been consistently used throughout the recent centuries and is more commonly used when compared to the uses of "abide with" and "abide to."

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest known use of the verb "abide" is in the Old English period (pre-1150) which makes it one of the older words in the English language.

Example sentences

All students must abide by the school's dress code, which prohibits wearing offensive or inappropriate clothing.
It is crucial to abide by traffic laws to ensure road safety for all drivers and pedestrians.
As a responsible pet owner, it is essential to abide by leash laws when walking your dog in public areas.
The athletes pledged to abide by the anti-doping regulations to maintain the integrity of the sport.
Employees are expected to abide by the company's policies on data security and confidentiality.
The tenants must abide by the terms of the lease agreement, including paying rent on time.
In international diplomacy, nations strive to abide by treaties and agreements to promote peace and cooperation.
The ethical guidelines for researchers require them to abide by principles of honesty and integrity in their studies.
When visiting a foreign country, it is important to abide by local customs and traditions to show respect.
To maintain a harmonious neighborhood, residents should abide by noise ordinances and be considerate of their neighbors.

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