compliance

American  

[kuhm-plahy-uhns] / kəmˈplaɪ əns /

noun

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

• overcompliance noun
• precompliance noun

Etymology

Origin of compliance

First recorded in 1635–45; comply + -ance

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

Introduced last year, the reforms were aimed at strengthening worker protections while simplifying compliance for employers.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

“The decline in shadow fleet activity likely reflects increased risk aversion among operators,” Dimitris Ampatzidis, a risk and compliance analyst at Kpler, told Barron’s.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

Dentsu said: “Our dedication to delivering value and maintaining the highest standards of compliance is unchanged.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

The Terner Center said going to multiple agencies for needed funding adds costs because developers have to endure higher legal, staffing and compliance costs to manage additional applications and contracts.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

The requirements seemed pretty tough until you focused on the second-to-last one: “to enforce compliance with a lawful direction.”

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• conformity
• consent