compliance

[kuhm-plahy-uhns]

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.

compliance

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• overcompliance noun
• precompliance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of compliance¹

First recorded in 1635–45; comply + -ance

Example Sentences

“Our member cardrooms will continue to support good jobs, vital public services, and local economies across California while upholding the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and compliance.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Comerica was set to incur steep new compliance costs as it approached a key regulatory threshold of $100 billion in assets.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A spokesman for 1789 Capital said the firm “maximizes transparency and compliance” and noted that “no one at the fund has ever worked in government.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Now, she requires each team to supply a referee to officiate the other teams’ events, and carries a megaphone to boost compliance.

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But Kapilashrami pointed out there are other skills they do have that can improve and speed the adoption of AI, among them expertise on regulation, compliance, ethics or particular industries.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• conformity 
• consent 

When To Use

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.