conform
to act according to or be obedient to a rule or norm (usually followed by to): Every team must adopt and conform to league regulations.
to be in harmony or accord (usually followed by with): These results conform with those of similar studies done in the past.
to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group: One has to conform in order to succeed in this company.
to be or become similar in form, nature, or character (usually followed by to): Memory conforms to what we think we remember.I love how these slippers conform to my feet.
to comply with the usages of an established church, especially the Church of England.
to bring into agreement, correspondence, or harmony (usually used with to): We need to conform our corporate practice to the new guidelines.Despite efforts to conform the data sets perfectly, some discrepancies will persist.
to make similar in form, nature, or character (usually used with to): Do not try to conform your partner to your ideal.
Archaic. conformable (def. 1).
Origin of conform
1Grammar notes for conform
Other words for conform
Opposites for conform
Other words from conform
- con·form·er, noun
- con·form·ing·ly, adverb
- non·con·form·ing, adjective
- pre·con·form, verb
- qua·si-con·form·ing, adjective
- re·con·form, verb
- un·con·formed, adjective
- un·con·form·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use conform in a sentence
One of the most popular fabrics in running shoes, nylon wicks sweat and it’s stretchy, so it will more easily conform to the shape of your feet while you’re on the run.
Hamilton wanted the chance to invest in the ideas and people who didn’t conform to the expected image of how a founder is supposed to look.
For some customers, the experience of dining at home over Thanksgiving might even be freeing, as they’re not forced to conform to the traditional roast turkey and mashed potato crowd pleasers or commit to long hours in the kitchen.
There’s Never Been a Better Year to Do a Takeout Thanksgiving | Brenna Houck | November 23, 2020 | EaterA sturdy nose wire easily conforms to fit your face, stays in place, and helps anchor sunglasses without much fogging.
What You Need to Know About Wearing a Face Mask Outside | Joe Lindsey | September 30, 2020 | Outside OnlineIt does not fit the mold of public opinion, and it does not conform to shifting standards.
Protesters hit the streets for a second night after officers aren’t charged with killing Breonna Taylor | Fabiola Cineas | September 25, 2020 | Vox
This, in turn, will require that free and fair elections—conforming to international standards—are at long last held in Iran.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most | Djavad Khadem | November 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere would be, he said, an “anxiety that comes with not conforming to the ideological norm.”
For women with ADHD conforming to these problematic standards is a herculean task.
“Women with mental illness have a much harder time conforming their behavior to staff expectations,” Smith said.
The Swedes are treating gender-conforming children the way we once treated gender-variant children.
He permitted a plurality of wives, conforming in this point to the immemorial usage of the orientals.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)By conforming to the Laws of this Universe; instead of trying by pettifogging to evade and profitably contradict them.
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. III. (of XXI.) | Thomas CarlyleA silver head may be placed on the wood of a walking stick, precisely conforming on the outside to the form of the wood within.
Steam Steel and Electricity | James W. SteeleThe enemy under Bragg lay between us and stone River in order of battle, his general line conforming to the course of that stream.
The Memoirs of General P. H. Sheridan, Complete | General Philip Henry SheridanTo scold her for not conforming to our twentieth-century code of morals is preposterous in its presumption.
Court Beauties of Old Whitehall | W. R. H. Trowbridge
British Dictionary definitions for conform
/ (kənˈfɔːm) /
(intr usually foll by to) to comply in actions, behaviour, etc, with accepted standards or norms
(intr usually foll by with) to be in accordance; fit in: he conforms with my idea of a teacher
to make or become similar in character or form
(intr) to comply with the practices of an established church, esp the Church of England
(tr) to bring (oneself, ideas, etc) into harmony or agreement
Origin of conform
1Derived forms of conform
- conformer, noun
- conformingly, adverb
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
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