Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

abide


Listen Later

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 12, 2025 is:

abide • \uh-BYDE\  • verb

If someone cannot abide someone or something bad, unpleasant, etc., they cannot tolerate or accept that person or thing. Abide can also mean "to accept without objection" and "to remain or continue."

// I just can't abide such blatant dishonesty.

// Residents agree to abide by the dorm's rules.

See the entry >

Examples:

"If a legal party ... doesn't like a district court ruling, it is free to challenge the decision to a federal appellate court and then the Supreme Court. But while the appeal plays out, the legal party must abide by the ruling." — Will Rogers, The Baltimore Sun, 22 July 2025

Did you know?

Abide has abided in the English language since before the 12th century, picking up along the way several meanings and inflections that are now rare or no longer in use. For instance, one of abide's former meanings was "to stop" and its former past participle was abidden (whereas we now use abided or abode). Today, abide often turns up in the phrase "can't abide" to say that someone cannot tolerate or accept something. The expression abide by, which means "to accept and be guided by (something)," is also common. Related terms include abiding, meaning "continuing for a long time" or "not changing" (as in "an abiding friendship"), abidance ("continuance" or "the act or process of doing what you have been asked or ordered to do"), and abode ("the place where someone lives").



...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Merriam-Webster's Word of the DayBy Merriam-Webster

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,238 ratings


More shows like Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

View all
TED Talks Daily by TED

TED Talks Daily

11,147 Listeners

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by QuickAndDirtyTips.com

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

2,837 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,060 Listeners

Learn English | EnglishClass101.com by EnglishClass101.com

Learn English | EnglishClass101.com

851 Listeners

IELTS Energy English 7+ by Lindsay McMahon, Jessica Beck, Aubrey Carter

IELTS Energy English 7+

418 Listeners

Science Quickly by Scientific American

Science Quickly

1,379 Listeners

All Ears English Podcast by Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan

All Ears English Podcast

2,296 Listeners

Real English Conversations Podcast – Real English for Global Professionals | Speak Clearly & Confidently at Work by Real English Conversations: With Curtis Davies - English Podcast

Real English Conversations Podcast – Real English for Global Professionals | Speak Clearly & Confidently at Work

427 Listeners

RealLife English: Learn and Speak Confident, Natural English by RealLife English

RealLife English: Learn and Speak Confident, Natural English

475 Listeners

Round Table China by China Plus

Round Table China

152 Listeners

Speak English Now Podcast: Learn English | Speak English without grammar. by Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Speak English Now Podcast: Learn English | Speak English without grammar.

573 Listeners

Life Kit by NPR

Life Kit

4,500 Listeners

Headline News by China Plus

Headline News

12 Listeners

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques by Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

812 Listeners

Confident Business English by Anna Connelly

Confident Business English

156 Listeners