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To act in accordance with a rule, request, or command; to obey or follow instructions or regulations
The company must comply with all local environmental regulations.
The company must follow all local environmental regulations.
Employees are required to comply with the company's code of conduct.
Employees must follow the company's code of conduct.
Often used in legal and regulatory contexts.
To meet a standard or requirement; to conform to a set of rules or expectations
The product must comply with international safety standards.
The product must meet international safety standards.
The software must comply with industry best practices.
The software must follow industry best practices.
Common in business and technical contexts.
To follow a request or instruction, often in a professional or formal setting
Investors must comply with the new financial reporting requirements.
Investors must follow the new financial reporting requirements.
The bank must comply with the central bank's directives.
The bank must follow the central bank's directives.
Used in financial and regulatory contexts.
'Comply' is a formal word. In everyday conversation, you might use 'follow' or 'obey' instead.
Always use 'comply with' in formal contexts. 'Comply to' is less common and can be considered incorrect in some cases.
From Middle English complien, from Old French complir, from Latin complēre 'to fill up, complete'.
The most common collocation is 'comply with'. 'Comply to' is sometimes used but is less formal and can be considered incorrect in some contexts.