comply
Americanverb (used without object)
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complies,
present (3rd person singular)
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complied,
past participle, past
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complying
present participle
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to act or be in accordance with wishes, requests, demands, requirements, conditions, etc.; agree (sometimes followed bywith ).
They asked him to leave and he complied.
She has complied with the requirements.
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Obsolete. to be courteous or conciliatory.
verb
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(usually foll by with) to act in accordance with rules, wishes, etc; be obedient (to)
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obsolete to be obedient or complaisant
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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complysimple
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compliessimple
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have compliedperfect
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has compliedperfect
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am complyingprogressive
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are complyingprogressive
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is complyingprogressive
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have been complyingperfect progressive
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has been complyingperfect progressive
Past
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compliedsimple
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had compliedperfect
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was complyingprogressive
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were complyingprogressive
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had been complyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of comply
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Italian complire, from Spanish cumplir ( see compliment) “to fulfill, accomplish,” from Latin complēre, equivalent to com- com- + plēre “to fill”
Explanation
Comply is to act according to someone's wishes or rules. Although you might like to stay out with your friends, you'll have to comply with your parents' rules and be home by midnight. Comply shares a root with the word, complete. In a way, when you comply with a rule or agreement, you are completing it, or completing your part in it. When someone is in compliance with an agreement or a legal ruling, that means that they have done everything they needed to satisfy the ruling. Comply with the rules of grammar or your English teacher will turn your paper red with ink!
Vocabulary lists containing comply
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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The Hate U Give
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"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
By mid-2024, all bond funds had to comply with a Securities and Exchange Commission rule requiring them to display a “broad-based” index in performance comparisons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Companies that do not comply will be fined up to $5,000 for the first nondisclosure violation and up to $10,000 for any subsequent violation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
To comply, some funds began selling holdings, spooking investors who started trying to cash in their investments.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
I told him so, refusing to comply and letting him know that he shouldn’t be giving away money he needed to borrow.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
Ratwatte continued: “All the guys had to do was tell the controller, ‘We don’t have the fuel to comply with what you are trying to do.’
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
UC has disputed the federal findings at its campuses and said the university system complies with federal and state laws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
UC Berkeley “will spare no effort to provide ample evidence showing that the university complies with all relevant laws, policies and rules governing admissions.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Hengli has said it complies with relevant regulations in the regions where it operates, has never engaged in any trade with Iran and that its suppliers have provided similar assurances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
It has previously said it complies with relevant regulations in the regions where it operates, has never engaged in any trade with Iran and that its suppliers have provided similar assurances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Sebastian scowls something serious but complies with Britt’s demands.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
And Szabo reported to the City Council last year that his office had determined that LA28 had complied with “insurance and risk management requirements.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
An investigation by the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell concluded the company had complied with regulations, according to people familiar with the findings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
The Met had already been investigating whether payments to Reform in the weeks before the last election complied with donation laws.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
There was a solid two weeks when I complied with its whims.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
Koffi almost laughed at the politeness of the request, but complied.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
“We have communicated to the NBA that we are complying with the penalties assessed by the league, have paid the fine, and are moving forward.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Defence barrister Andrew Ford KC suggested Irwin was accustomed to complying with his mother's wishes over many years, and was a man of lower than average intellectual functioning.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Released last month, it would give water agencies two ways of complying with Delta water quality rules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The focus was on limiting the impact to voters while also complying.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026
“He’s been disappointed so many times already, and he’s expecting to be disappointed again. If he’s not complying, you’ll call me?”
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
