comply
Americanverb (used without object)
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to act or be in accordance with wishes, requests, demands, requirements, conditions, etc.; agree (sometimes followed bywith ).
They asked him to leave and he complied.
She has complied with the requirements.
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Obsolete. to be courteous or conciliatory.
verb
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(usually foll by with) to act in accordance with rules, wishes, etc; be obedient (to)
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obsolete to be obedient or complaisant
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have compliedperfect
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has compliedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been complyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am complyingprogressive 1st person singular
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is complyingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are complyingprogressive
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have been complyingperfect progressive
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complyingparticiple
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compliessingular 3rd person
Past
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had compliedperfect
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were complyingprogressive plural
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had been complyingperfect progressive
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was complyingprogressive singular
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compliedparticiple
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compliedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of comply
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Italian complire, from Spanish cumplir ( see compliment) “to fulfill, accomplish,” from Latin complēre, equivalent to com- com- + plēre “to fill”
Explanation
Comply is to act according to someone's wishes or rules. Although you might like to stay out with your friends, you'll have to comply with your parents' rules and be home by midnight. Comply shares a root with the word, complete. In a way, when you comply with a rule or agreement, you are completing it, or completing your part in it. When someone is in compliance with an agreement or a legal ruling, that means that they have done everything they needed to satisfy the ruling. Comply with the rules of grammar or your English teacher will turn your paper red with ink!
Vocabulary lists containing comply
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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The Hate U Give
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"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
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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.
In the suit, Fowler claimed that Jay Justice blocked him from spending the money necessary to comply with environmental laws, including making court-ordered payments and repairing equipment.
From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026
Workers were demanding salary increases, protection against subcontracting and job loss through automation, and were refusing to comply with FIFA’s request to collect sensitive private information such as nationality and home addresses.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
They are required by U.S. law not to comply with such a boycott.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Whether Ford will comply with the final rules is “the million-dollar question,” Osborne said.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
But Van Ness refused to comply and headed Burr into his barge and back across the river to New York.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
