Definition of COMPORTMENT

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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 The texts released late Thursday also appeared to comport with elements of the complaint. — BostonGlobe.com, "White House subpoenaed by Democrats - The Boston Globe," 5 Oct. 2019 Whatever the rationales, if Congress passes a law that ensures college athletes can negotiate and receive compensation for their identity rights, California’s law would need to comport with federal requirements. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "What's Next After California Signs Game Changer Fair Pay to Play Act Into Law?," 30 Sep. 2019 For decades, courts have recognized that employers cannot force employees to comport with stereotypes about how men or women should look or behave. — Emma Roth, Teen Vogue, "Trump Justice Department Says It's Fine If Women Are Forced to Wear Skirts," 14 Nov. 2019 Meanwhile, Jordan could be asked to describe his role in Jordan Brand’s signing of Williamson and how such actions comported with his duties as governor of the Charlotte Hornets. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "What's Next in Zion Williamson's Extended Federal Lawsuit?," 22 Aug. 2019 The whistleblower's complaint, which was made public Thursday, comported with a detailed description of Trump's July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that was released by the White House. — NBC News, "Trump goes on tweet offensive about whistleblower, his 'perfect call' and 'Liddle' Adam Schiff," 27 Sep. 2019 The latest trend: The Michigan poll comports with results from a national survey by Quinnipiac University released yesterday, cleveland.com’s Sabrina Eaton reports. — cleveland.com, "Attorneys are optimistic for opioid settlements in Midwest lawsuits: The Flyover," 29 Aug. 2019 Barack Obama is famously unsentimental, including on racial questions, for instance in shaping his romantic life in a way that would comport better with his political ambitions. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "Joe Biden, Designated White Guy," 13 Aug. 2019 The only requirement for a WNBA punishment is a finding, by the WNBA, that a player did not comport to the standard detailed above. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Breaking Down What to Expect After Riquna Williams's 10-Game Suspension by the WNBA," 18 July 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Trump has authored Twitter posts before about sanctions that didn’t comport with U.S. policy and that aides struggled to explain. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "White House did not impose new sanctions on Iran," 21 June 2019 Trump has authored Twitter posts before about sanctions that didn’t comport with U.S. policy and that aides struggled to explain. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "White House did not impose new sanctions on Iran," 21 June 2019 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.

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Last Updated

13 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Comport.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comportment. Accessed 13 December 2019.