comply

verb com·ply \ kəm-ˈplī \

|Updated on: 22 Jul 2018

Examples: comply in a Sentence

Definition of comply

complied; complying

intransitive verb

1 obsolete : to be ceremoniously courteous

2 : to conform, submit, or adapt (as to a regulation or to another's wishes) as required or requested

comply with federal law

the devices comply with industry standards

See comply defined for English-language learners

See comply defined for kids

Examples of comply in a Sentence

I asked the waitress to refill my coffee cup and she happily complied.
There will be penalties against individuals who fail to comply.

Recent Examples of comply from the Web

Citigroup is among several large banks that have been fined by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for failing to complete sufficient improvements in its procedures for complying with rules on monitoring for illicit financial activity.

— telis demos, WSJ, "Rules Designed to Catch Terrorists Cost This Unsuspecting Customer Her Bank Account," 13 July 2018
But the report also singled out Teva Pharmaceuticals, among the world’s largest drug manufacturers, for not complying with McCaskill’s document requests.

— lev facher, STAT, "System for reporting suspicious opioid orders repeatedly failed, report finds," 12 July 2018
City officials said logistical issues prevented the housing authority from complying until this year.

— New York Times, "Mayor Vows to ‘Eradicate’ Lead From New York City Housing Projects," 10 July 2018
Trost said the Transit Security Advisory Committee assists BART in complying with California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, legislation enacted in 1959 outlawing discrimination based on such factors as gender and race.

— ted andersen, SFChronicle.com, "Two-thirds of people banned from BART are black — and agency isn’t asking why," 6 July 2018
Businesses had time to work toward complying with the ban, said Jillian Henze, a spokeswoman for the Seattle Restaurant Alliance, an industry trade group.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Seattle bans plastic straws, utensils at restaurants, bars," 3 July 2018
Businesses have time to work toward complying with the ban, said Jillian Henze, a spokeswoman for the Seattle Restaurant Alliance, an industry trade group.

— CBS News, "Seattle becomes first U.S. city to ban plastic utensils and straws," 2 July 2018
The state received an extension last year after the Missouri General Assembly lifted the ban keeping the state from complying, but that runs out Oct. 10.

— allison kite, kansascity, "Missouri isn’t ready for the switch to REAL ID. That could affect your travel plans," 15 June 2018
This commitment includes holding all ATF executives, managers, supervisors, and employees accountable for complying with anti-harassment policies.

— neil weinberg, Bloomberg.com, "Federal Employees Face Hurdles Pursuing Sexual Harassment Claims," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'comply.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.