verb
comply
kuhm-PLEYE
verb
1
To act in accordance with a rule, request, or law.
"All staff must comply with the new safety regulations."
"The company failed to comply with the court order."
How to Use Comply
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo go along with what a rule, law, or instruction requires.
Common mistake
Always followed by "with" (comply with the rules), not "to."
Easily confused with
compliment
complement →
Common pairings
comply with
fail to comply
refuse to comply
Word Forms
complied past tense, complies singular
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All staff must _____ with the new safety regulations.
Etymology
From Italian complire and related Romance forms meaning "to fulfil, carry out," ultimately from Latin complere, "to complete or fill up."