Definition of COMPORTMENT

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

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julián Castro, also comported himself incredibly well, discussing the importance of reproductive justice and massive reform in immigration policies. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Elizabeth Warren Is the Adult in the Room," 27 June 2019 One of the great postwar temptations for storytellers is to equip their characters with a moral clarity that comports with the judgments of history. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: The Island Girl & the Royal Plot," 21 June 2019 This isn’t my way of excusing the manner in which the U.S. team comported itself during the late stages of the most lopsided game in the history of the World Cup. — Peter Schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "Schmuck: U.S. women's World Cup team sparks debate about sportsmanship that's a few decades too late," 13 June 2019 At a time when world politics are in a disgraceful state, how should a civilized adult comport himself? — Vogue, "The Top 12 Collections of the Fall 2019 Menswear Season," 23 Jan. 2019 But logic and the cutthroat politics of New York do not always comport. — Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, "Inside the Intense Scrum to Be New York’s Next Attorney General," 14 May 2018 This would comport with the theory that the plane took a U-turn after taking off on its projected northern route towards Vietnam, flying back south toward Indonesia. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "New Research Might Locate Flight MH370—And Solve One of the Greatest Aviation Mysteries of All Time," 7 Dec. 2018 Bondi told the paper in a phone interview Saturday that the demonstrators' actions didn't comport with the lessons taught by Mr. Rogers. — CBS News, "Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi responds after protesters confront her at Mr. Rogers movie," 25 June 2018 For any future meeting with US President Donald Trump, a major takeaway from Friday's events was in the ease with which Kim Jong Un comported himself. — Jamie Tarabay, CNN, "Is Kim Jong Un for real?," 27 Apr. 2018

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 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.