comply

[kuhm-plahy]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR comply ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), com·plied, com·ply·ing.

to act or be in accordance with wishes, requests, demands, requirements, conditions, etc.; agree (sometimes followed by with): They asked him to leave and he complied. She has complied with the requirements.

Obsolete. to be courteous or conciliatory.

Origin of comply

1595–1605; < Italian complire < Spanish cumplir (see compliment) to fulfill, accomplish < Latin complēre, equivalent to com- com- + plē- fill + -re infinitive suffix

Related formsun·com·ply·ing, adjective

Synonyms for comply

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR comply ON THESAURUS.COM

1. acquiesce, yield, conform, obey, consent, assent.

Antonyms for comply

1. refuse, resist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for comply

satisfy, quit, obey, acquiesce, submit, observe, defer, accord, accede, ditto, perform, mind, yield, keep, fold, fulfill, discharge, respect

Examples from the Web for comply

Contemporary Examples of comply

A big cake requires a big festival, and Augustus was happy to comply.
One Cake to Rule Them All: How Stollen Stole Our Hearts
Molly Hannon
December 24, 2014
The Malaysian crew said they could not comply—the report gives no reason for what was very likely a fateful decision.
MH17 Switched Places With Another Jet
Clive Irving
September 9, 2014
In past flare-ups—documented on open carry forums—the grocery chain has said that it will comply with state laws.
Gun Control Group Moms Demand Action Asking Kroger to Ban Guns in Stores
Brandy Zadrozny
August 18, 2014
And since WhatsApp is considered a form of texting, people are not obliged to comply.
Israel, Hamas, WhatsApp and Hacked Phones in the Gaza Psy-War
Itay Hod
July 26, 2014
Industry will then, under the proposed rules, have a two-year transitional period over which to comply with the new requirements.
Guess Who Doesn’t Want You to Know How Much Added Sugar Is in Your Food
Tim Mak
July 19, 2014

Historical Examples of comply

There are twenty men who will be eager to comply with the wishes of their minister.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
He scowled upon me with a natural hate, and refused to comply with my request.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
My heart fluttered as I rose to comply with the demand, and the chapel was hushed.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
We have agreed all to be moved, or none; and not to comply without one another.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
I am sorry my case is so circumstanced, that I cannot comply.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for comply

comply

verb -plies, -plying or -plied (intr)

(usually foll by with) to act in accordance with rules, wishes, etc; be obedient (to)

obsolete to be obedient or complaisant

Derived Formscomplier, noun

Word Origin for comply

C17: from Italian complire, from Spanish cumplir to complete; see compliment

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for comply

early 14c., "to fulfill, carry out," from Old French compli, past participle of complir "to accomplish, fulfill, carry out," from Vulgar Latin *complire, from Latin complere "to fill up" (see complete (adj.)). Meaning influenced by ply (v.2). Sense of "to consent" began c.1600 and might have been a reintroduction from Italian, where complire had come to mean "satisfy by 'filling up' the forms of courtesy."