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

Example Sentences

Liaw pleaded not guilty to charges of diverting U.S.-assembled servers to China, while the company stated it has a robust compliance program.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Altered rates on finished products made with steel, aluminum and copper would simplify compliance, but could effectively raise costs for many imports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The Army said that it launched an administrative review to assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

The idea is to give them a number of years to experiment before either coming into compliance with the traditional rules or proving they don’t need to comply.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

King wasn’t injured, and he and his party were assigned hotel rooms in compliance with the recently passed Civil Rights Act.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

• conformity
• consent