# comply

> English word · Verb · IPA /kəmˈplaɪ/ · frequency rank #6,667

## Definitions
1. To yield assent; to accord; to acquiesce, agree, consent; to adapt oneself, to conform.
2. To accomplish, to fulfil.
3. To be ceremoniously courteous; to make one's compliments.
4. To enfold; to embrace.

## Etymology
From Italian complire, Catalan complir (“to complete, fulfil; to carry out”), Spanish cumplir (“to complete, fulfil”), (alternatively from Old French compli), from Latin complēre, from compleō (“to finish, complete; to fulfil”), from com- (prefix indicating completeness of an act) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, near; by, with”)) + pleō (“to fill; to fulfil”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)).
The word is very close to the French verb complaire which means to satisfy or to please. The word is also cognate with Old French complir (“to accomplish, complete; to do”) (modern French accomplir (“to accomplish, achieve”)). Compare complete, compliment.

## Easily confused with
- **copy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comply-vs-copy)
- **couple** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comply-vs-couple)
- **costly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comply-vs-costly)
- **Copley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comply-vs-copley)
- **coolly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comply-vs-coolly)
- **cosplay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comply-vs-cosplay)
- **comp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comp-vs-comply)
- **comfy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comfy-vs-comply)
- **Comey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comey-vs-comply)
- **comedy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comedy-vs-comply)
- **compel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/compel-vs-comply)
- **coldly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coldly-vs-comply)
- **company** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/company-vs-comply)
- **complex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/complex-vs-comply)
- **compile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/compile-vs-comply)
- **compels** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/compels-vs-comply)

## Common misspellings (10)
`ccomply`, `cmoply`, `comlpy`, `commply`, `complly`, `complyy`, `compply`, `compyl`, `copmly`, `ocmply`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/comply