conform
Americanverb (used without object)
-
conforms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conformed,
past participle, past
-
conforming
present participle
-
to act according to or be obedient to a rule or norm (usually followed byto ).
Every team must adopt and conform to league regulations.
- Antonyms:
- dissent
-
to be in harmony or accord (usually followed bywith ).
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 byto ).
Memory conforms to what we think we remember.
I love how these slippers conform to my feet.
- Synonyms:
- tally, agree, correspond
- Antonyms:
- differ
-
to comply with the usages of an established church, especially the Church of England.
- Antonyms:
- dissent
verb (used with object)
-
conforms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conformed,
past participle, past
-
conforming
present participle
-
to bring into agreement, correspondence, or harmony (usually used withto ).
We need to conform our corporate practice to the new guidelines.
Despite efforts to conform the data sets perfectly, some discrepancies will persist.
- Synonyms:
- accommodate, adjust, adapt
-
to make similar in form, nature, or character (usually used withto ).
Do not try to conform your partner to your ideal.
adjective
verb
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to comply in actions, behaviour, etc, with accepted standards or norms
-
to be in accordance; fit in
he conforms with my idea of a teacher
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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
Grammar
All senses of conform necessarily involve an underlying comparison of one thing or person to another. To introduce the second thing, there are two acceptable prepositions— to and with —each being more common with certain senses. When the sense has to do with one of the things being the standard or guide for the other, the most usual preposition is to: This wiring does not conform to the building code. The car seat conforms to your body. When the sense has to do with two things that independently happen to agree or match, with is more common: Your observations conform with my own experience. However, in each case, the other preposition is also correct. When the relationship between the two things is not clear, to tends to prevail: Fortunately, the weather conformed to our expectations.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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conformernoun
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preconformverb
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reconformverb
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nonconformingadjective
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quasi-conformingadjective
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unconformedadjective
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unconformingadjective
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conforminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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conformsimple
-
conformssimple
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have conformedperfect
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has conformedperfect
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am conformingprogressive
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are conformingprogressive
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is conformingprogressive
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have been conformingperfect progressive
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has been conformingperfect progressive
Past
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conformedsimple
-
had conformedperfect
-
was conformingprogressive
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were conformingprogressive
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had been conformingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of conform
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English confo(u)rmen, from Anglo-French, Middle French conformer, from Latin conformāre “to shape, describe, make to agree,” from con- con- + formāre “to shape, fashion” (from forma form )
Explanation
To conform means to adapt to fit in with new conditions. So if you travel to Morocco, you should conform to the local custom and adjust your usual wardrobe to one that is more modest. Sometimes conform gets a bad rap, carrying with it the sense of compromising one’s individuality to fit in or please others. But take note that it doesn’t always have to carry such a negative charge. For example, the manager of a factory that produces bouncy balls would want each ball that came off his conveyor belts to conform to a high standard of durability, bounciness, and roundness.
Vocabulary lists containing conform
Shape Up: Form
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #1
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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:
Three-row luxury SUVs with built-in refrigerators and seats that conform to a passenger’s body.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
In time, however, it becomes evident that their personal interests don’t entirely conform to the public interest, and a backlash grows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
It said India's construction of hydroelectric projects on the Indus and associated rivers had to conform to the 1960 treaty.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
And, most importantly, as a washed-up hipster living in central Brooklyn, I am surrounded by fans of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur—two teams I also know nothing about—and I simply refuse to conform to that coalition.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
By now, even the youngest Yearlings have learned Blackcliff's most essential lessons: Obey, conform, and keep your mouth shut.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
That is an unlikely scenario, but one being discussed in golfing quarters - DeChambeau rarely conforms to the norm.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
Jeremy Grantham’s Wall Street career exactly conforms to this charmed sequence, but with what troubles along the way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
This allowed the works to be safeguarded until the museum could reopen "in a modern format that conforms to international standards", she added.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
Instead of inserting a probe into the brain, the new version gently conforms to the skull surface and shines light through the bone.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 8, 2025
It conforms to Alexander Pope’s definition of simplicity as “the mean between ostentation and rusticity.”
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
"I want to say broadly over the month or so that's transpired since then, the world has broadly conformed to our expectations."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
When researchers applied a small electrical potential, the cornea gradually softened and conformed to the shape of the lens.
From Science Daily ● May 28, 2026
A majority, however, were not ideologically driven: “They simply conformed, did what was asked of them, averted their gaze from any unpleasantness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
Downing Street refused to do so unless the Scottish government conformed to a UK-wide approach excluding glass.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2025
They've conformed to me and can't be worn by anyone but me.
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
The author recalls an interview he did with the herpetologist: Despite this account not conforming to reality, “everything Wells was telling me made perfect sense,” he writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Johnson is so concerned with conforming to the auspicious, nostalgic idea of who Bourdain was that he makes his biopic far too safe.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
For 2026, Freddie and Fannie have a conforming limit of $832,750 for single-family home loans, though the limit can increase as much as 50% — to $1,249,125 — in certain high-cost areas.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
But then "people started conforming to behave in ways that would not show racism. That doesn't mean that it's now absent", she adds.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
I tie my shoes in a hurry, pull on a jacket, and sprint out of the room, catching up to the line of initiates quickly, conforming my pace to theirs.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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