conform

American  

[kuhn-fawrm] / kənˈfɔrm /

verb (used without object)

• conforms,
  present (3rd person singular)
• conformed,
  past participle,  past
• conforming
  present participle

1. to act according to or be obedient to a rule or norm (usually followed byto ).

   Every team must adopt and conform to league regulations.

   Synonyms:

   consent, agree, yield

   Antonyms:

   dissent

2. to be in harmony or accord (usually followed bywith ).

   These results conform with those of similar studies done in the past.

3. to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group.

   One has to conform in order to succeed in this company.

4. to be or become similar in form, nature, or character (usually followed byto ).

   Memory conforms to what we think we remember.

   I love how these slippers conform to my feet.

   Synonyms:

   tally, agree, correspond

   Antonyms:

   differ

5. to comply with the usages of an established church, especially the Church of England.

   Antonyms:

   dissent

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verb (used with object)

• conforms,
  present (3rd person singular)
• conformed,
  past participle,  past
• conforming
  present participle

1. to bring into agreement, correspondence, or harmony (usually used withto ).

   We need to conform our corporate practice to the new guidelines.

   Despite efforts to conform the data sets perfectly, some discrepancies will persist.

   Synonyms:

   accommodate, adjust, adapt

2. to make similar in form, nature, or character (usually used withto ).

   Do not try to conform your partner to your ideal.

adjective

1. Archaic. conformable.

conform British  

/ kənˈfɔːm /

verb

1. to comply in actions, behaviour, etc, with accepted standards or norms

2. to be in accordance; fit in

   he conforms with my idea of a teacher

3. to make or become similar in character or form

4. (intr) to comply with the practices of an established church, esp the Church of England

5. (tr) to bring (oneself, ideas, etc) into harmony or agreement

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Grammar

All senses of conform necessarily involve an underlying comparison of one thing or person to another. To introduce the second thing, there are two acceptable prepositions— to and with —each being more common with certain senses. When the sense has to do with one of the things being the standard or guide for the other, the most usual preposition is to: This wiring does not conform to the building code. The car seat conforms to your body. When the sense has to do with two things that independently happen to agree or match, with is more common: Your observations conform with my own experience. However, in each case, the other preposition is also correct. When the relationship between the two things is not clear, to tends to prevail: Fortunately, the weather conformed to our expectations.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• conformer
  noun
• preconform
  verb
• reconform
  verb
• nonconforming
  adjective
• quasi-conforming
  adjective
• unconformed
  adjective
• unconforming
  adjective
• conformingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• conforming
  present
• conformed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• conform
  simple
• conforms
  simple
• have conformed
  perfect
• has conformed
  perfect
• am conforming
  progressive
• are conforming
  progressive
• is conforming
  progressive
• have been conforming
  perfect progressive
• has been conforming
  perfect progressive

Past

• conformed
  simple
• had conformed
  perfect
• was conforming
  progressive
• were conforming
  progressive
• had been conforming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will conform
  simple
• will have conformed
  perfect
• will be conforming
  progressive
• will have been conforming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of conform

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English confo(u)rmen, from Anglo-French, Middle French conformer, from Latin conformāre “to shape, describe, make to agree,” from con- con- + formāre “to shape, fashion” (from forma form )

Explanation

To conform means to adapt to fit in with new conditions. So if you travel to Morocco, you should conform to the local custom and adjust your usual wardrobe to one that is more modest. Sometimes conform gets a bad rap, carrying with it the sense of compromising one’s individuality to fit in or please others. But take note that it doesn’t always have to carry such a negative charge. For example, the manager of a factory that produces bouncy balls would want each ball that came off his conveyor belts to conform to a high standard of durability, bounciness, and roundness.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conform conforms conformed conforming

It said India's construction of hydroelectric projects on the Indus and associated rivers had to conform to the 1960 treaty.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

Other coroners linked fatalities to e-bikes and e-scooters that did not conform to UK safety standards.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

I was never going to really quite conform.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Nowadays, ABS has the ability to overturn incorrect strike calls on pitches that miss by a tenth of an inch, requiring all umpires to conform to the official zone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Psychologically, his behavior can be studied, for if he is a positronic robot, he must conform to the three Rules of Robotics.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

This conforms with polling, which estimates his name recognition at 6 percent.

From Slate ● May 13, 2026

That is an unlikely scenario, but one being discussed in golfing quarters - DeChambeau rarely conforms to the norm.

From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026

This allowed the works to be safeguarded until the museum could reopen "in a modern format that conforms to international standards", she added.

From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025

He also advises checking your state plan to make sure it conforms to the federal changes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025

It conforms to Alexander Pope’s definition of simplicity as “the mean between ostentation and rusticity.”

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

When the time came to actually run it, Kerr and his team made sure that everything conformed to competition specifications so his time would count as an actual record, not a stunt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

That dwarfed the offerings of Morocco, which had no existing stadiums that conformed to tournament specifications and would need to spend upwards of $15 billion to prepare for a World Cup.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

When researchers applied a small electrical potential, the cornea gradually softened and conformed to the shape of the lens.

From Science Daily ● May 28, 2026

The trust's Transitioning in the Workplace policy allowed a person to use the single-sex space that conformed with their gender identity, and anyone of that sex who objected could change elsewhere.

From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026

So she simply determined to pluck them out, willing into existence a work environment that conformed to her sense of herself and her place in the world.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Not all of Sybylla’s experiences are upbeat or encouraging—she is constitutionally incapable of conforming, which gets her in constant trouble among the more proper circles into which she is thrust.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

But if you qualify for a conforming loan, you may save on fees by going to a bank.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

They produce conforming and compliant speech and behavior, which can have longer-term social impacts.

From Salon ● May 28, 2026

But then "people started conforming to behave in ways that would not show racism. That doesn't mean that it's now absent", she adds.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026

As we walked rapidly along I abruptly resented the bell and my West Point stride and hurrying and conforming.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Related Words

• accommodate
• attune
• comply
• coordinate
• fit
• harmonize
• integrate
• reconcile
• tailor
• yield