Definition of COMPORT

Choose the Right Synonym for comport

Verb

behave, conduct, deport, comport, acquit mean to act or to cause oneself to do something in a certain way. behave may apply to the meeting of a standard of what is proper or decorous. the children behaved in church conduct implies action or behavior that shows the extent of one's power to control or direct oneself. conducted herself with unfailing good humor deport implies behaving so as to show how far one conforms to conventional rules of discipline or propriety. the hero deported himself in accord with the code of chivalry comport suggests conduct measured by what is expected or required of one in a certain class or position. comported themselves as gentlemen acquit applies to action under stress that deserves praise or meets expectations. acquitted herself well in her first assignment

Comport and Behavior

With its prefix com-, "with", the Latin word comportare meant "to bring together". So it's easy to see how in English we could say that a college's policy comports with state law, or that a visit to your parents doesn't comport with your other weekend plans, or that your aunt and uncle won't listen to anything on TV that doesn't comport with their prejudices. The "behave" sense of the word comes through French, and its essential meaning is how a person "carries" him- or herself. So you may say, for instance, that your 17-year-old comported himself well (for once!) at the wedding reception, or that an ambassador always comports herself with dignity—that is, her comportment is always dignified—or that your class comported itself in a way that was a credit to the school.

Examples of comport in a Sentence

Verb

an outfit that most definitely does not comport with the company's guidelines for dress-down days the grieving relatives comported themselves with grace and dignity during that difficult time

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

That world still has more potential than reality, but in the meantime, the x2 comports itself decently enough. — Dieter Bohn, The Verge, "HP Chromebook x2 review: semi-pro," 27 Sep. 2018 Now, Ryan is tentatively planning to hold votes next month on multiple immigration bills, with each flank of his caucus getting a chance to back at least one piece of legislation that comports with its preferences. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Evinces Interest in a ‘DACA for Wall’ Deal," 24 May 2018 And there is no sign that reality will start comporting with the GOP’s predictions any time soon. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Corporations Invested Their Tax Cuts Into Stock Buybacks That Didn’t Even Work," 9 July 2018 Trump's approach to the Russia investigation has been to constantly muddy the waters, using claims that often don't comport with reality or seem to have any firm factual basis. — Aaron Blake, Washington Post, "Trump DHS secretary’s bizarre comments about Russian election interference," 22 May 2018 Though barely in his 20s, Bench comported himself like a veteran. — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, "Johnny Bench Is Already a Hall-of-Famer, But He's Looking For a New Distinction," 5 July 2018 Now, Rosenstein did not comport himself very well there. — Fox News, "Watters' Words: The uncivil left," 1 July 2018 But Hoskins comports himself like a player who has played 1,117 major-league games. — Marcus Hayes, Philly.com, "Rhys Hoskins regrets confrontation with fan | Marcus Hayes," 25 June 2018 Bondi told the paper in a phone interview Saturday that the demonstrators' actions didn't comport with the lessons taught by Mr. Rogers. — Sun-Sentinel.com, "Florida attorney general Pam Bondi confronted at Mr. Rogers movie," 24 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Does that comport with your own experience with the violent crime increase, sheriff? — Fox News, "Morgan Freeman's team accuses CNN of defamation," 31 May 2018

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