compliance

American  

[kuhm-plahy-uhns] / kəmˈplaɪ əns /

noun

• compliance
  plural

1. 

   the act of conforming, acquiescing, or yielding.

2. a tendency to yield readily to others, especially in a weak and subservient way.

3. conformity; accordance.

   in compliance with orders.

4. cooperation or obedience.

   Compliance with the law is expected of all.

5. Physics.

   1. the strain of an elastic body expressed as a function of the force producing the strain.

   2. a coefficient expressing the responsiveness of a mechanical system to a periodic force.

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compliance British  

/ kəmˈplaɪəns /

noun

1. the act of complying; acquiescence

2. a disposition to yield to or comply with others

3. C. a measure of the ability of a mechanical system to respond to an applied vibrating force, expressed as the reciprocal of the system's stiffness

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Usage

What is compliance? Compliance is the act of conforming and yielding, as with orders or laws. It is usually used in reference to written rules and regulations or spoken commands, as from police officers or a superior. Compliance can also refer to someone’s tendency to agree, especially in a submissive way. In physics, compliance refers to a coefficient expressing something’s responsiveness or counterforce when force is applied to it. Related to that, compliance is also the strain of an elastic body expressed as a function of the force producing the strain. In other words, compliance describes how easy it is for something to pool or flow within parts of the body or flexible vessels. Example: To be in full compliance with his school’s uniform policy, Tom had to get his hair cut.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overcompliance
  noun
• precompliance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• compliance
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of compliance

First recorded in 1635–45; comply + -ance

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Explanation

Compliance is what you do when you try to fit standards set down by someone else. A restaurant chef's compliance with a new sugar-free menu might inspire even the pastry chefs to follow the recipes. Plywood helps illustrate the "pli" in compliance, because if you've ever stepped on a piece of plywood stretched across something, you've felt how it gives underneath your feet. It has flexibility. Compliance means being flexible or yielding and giving in to a situation or order. "Pliant" is part of the word compliance, and it means yielding. Agreeing or bending to something like a plan, rule, or direction is compliance.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compliance

Schools that keep the preferences are listed publicly as out of compliance and must report more admissions data to the state.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

In one example, an unnamed customer was repeatedly connected to fraud schemes and high-risk international payments wires that were being investigated by law enforcement, resulting in more than 100 compliance cases, the filing said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

The bank is subject to a December 2024 cease-and-desist order as well, calling for it to address issues in its anti-money laundering program and compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Deloitte Cyprus said it "acts in compliance with applicable laws".

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

The guidelines governing display of uniforms and toiletries were very clear; if one guy’s stuff was out of compliance, the whole room would be written up for it.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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Related Words

• conformity
• consent

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