abide by
phr. v..phr. v.. to follow a rule, a law, or a decision that has been made.
phr. v.. to comply with or submit to a rule, decision, or recommendation; typically used in formal or legal contexts to indicate adherence to established standards.
You must abide by the rules of the game.
All members of the club agree to abide by the committee's final decision regarding the new budget.
Failure to abide by the international safety regulations resulted in the immediate suspension of the company's operating license.
highly formal and almost always followed by an abstract noun like rules, laws, or agreements.
anchor this to the verb 'bide' (as in 'bide your time') to show the sense of staying or remaining with a decision; contrast with 'follow' to show the difference in formality.
They abide to the rules.They abide by the rules.the verb 'abide' requires the preposition 'by' when it means to follow a rule.