abide

/əˈbaɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈbaɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈbīd/ (ame, mw)

abide — verb

  • abidepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • abideshe / she / it
  • abidedpast simple
  • abiding-ing form

1. to feel such strong dislike for a person or a thing that you will not allow them

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to feel such strong dislike for a person or a thing that you will not allow them near you — used only with 'can't' or 'cannot' in negative statements

例句

Layla can't abide people who play loud music from their phones on the train.

can't abide + noun phrase (people who...)

Elena cannot abide cigarette smoke, so she always chooses a seat in the non-smoking area.

同義詞
  • can't stand

    more common and neutral in register

  • can't bear

    suggests emotional distress or pain

  • detest

    stronger and more formal (C1)

  • loathe

    the strongest option, implying disgust (C1/C2)

反義詞
  • tolerate

    to accept something unpleasant without complaint

  • like

    mild opposite, neutral register

文法句型

can't abide + noun phrase

can't abide + -ing form

用法筆記

Almost always appears in negative constructions with 'can't' or 'cannot'. The affirmative form ('I abide...') is archaic and not used in modern English with this meaning. Takes a noun phrase or an -ing form as its object, never a to-infinitive.

常見錯誤

❌I can't abide to wait for the bus.
✅I can't abide waiting for the bus.
💡'abide' in this sense takes an -ing form, not a to-infinitive.
❌I can abide laziness.
✅I can't abide laziness.
💡using this sense without a negative auxiliary sounds archaic and incorrect in modern English.

2. to make a place your home or to remain in a location for an extended period, esp

2.動詞不及物C1
釋義

to make a place your home or to remain in a location for an extended period, especially in stories or formal writing

例句

For centuries the monks abided in a mountain monastery, far from worldly noise.

abided in [place] — formal/literary register

The old fisherman had long abided beside the same stretch of river.

同義詞
  • dwell

    similar literary/formal register

  • reside

    formal, common in legal contexts

  • live

    neutral and most common in everyday speech

反義詞

文法句型

abide + in/at/among + place

用法筆記

Subject is typically a person or a group. The verb is intransitive and usually takes a place phrase, especially with 'in' or 'among'. In modern everyday English, 'live' or 'stay' are far more common; this sense belongs to formal, literary, or historical registers.

常見錯誤

❌We abided the town for three days.
✅We abided in the town for three days.
💡this sense is intransitive and needs a preposition before the location.
❌I abided at my friend's house last night.
✅I stayed at my friend's house last night.
💡using 'abide' for a short casual visit sounds unnatural and overly formal.