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
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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:
Meta will also be required to provide the court with updates twice a year regarding its efforts to comply.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
However, gender critical campaign groups argue the code is important in helping organisations comply with the law.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Many organisations have already made changes they say comply with the law and are in line with the code, such as the Women's Institute and Girl Guiding, which had already said membership was for females.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Jackson Walker did not admit fault in the settlement but agreed to comply with bankruptcy disclosure requirements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
For a moment, I took him for a vagrant, but then I saw he was just some local fellow enjoying the fresh air and summer sunshine, and saw no reason not to comply.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Flock has said it contracts with roughly 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide and that its technology complies with a California law that limits what information can be shared with federal authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
A spokesman for the MTA says it complies with regulations related to air quality, ventilation and workplace safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"Whilst this complies with the judgment we want to further improve changing facilities for all colleagues."
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Anthropic said in a statement that it was forced to disable the models for all users to make sure it complies with the directive.
From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026
Marguerite lays down the spoon and complies without question.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Jianquan Bo, who was in the passenger’s seat, complied.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Zemian and Amundson complied and had started to exit the parking lot when a local police officer drove in.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Turn a little bit sideways!” a photographer requested, and Hathaway laughed and complied, cradling her stomach proudly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Like Anthropic, rival AI lab OpenAI has also complied with Washington's requests to restrict its own release of a new, powerful model called GPT-5.6 to a limited set of approved partners.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
“And may I ask—” said Elizabeth; “but the terms, I suppose, must be complied with.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
TfL says when its officers encounter someone playing their device out loud, they will typically ask them to stop, with most people complying.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The agency said its officers are trained to enforce immigration laws while protecting public safety and complying with federal law.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
“A pattern of unchecked and unaddressed mistakes in complying with court orders will be viewed as a deliberate and strategic choice,” he wrote in his order.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
He added Apple's "resources would be better spent directed towards complying in full and without delay with the law".
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
I blend like dust into dust, complying, a brick in the architecture.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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.
