ENGLISH
REFERENCE

complied

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //kəmˈpɫaɪd// UK //kəmplˈaɪd// com·plied

v. to follow a rule, order, or request. You use this when someone does what they are told to do by an authority.

v. acted in accordance with a wish, command, or set of regulations. Intransitive — requires a prepositional phrase to specify the rule or request followed.


SIMPLE

The company complied with the new safety laws.

CONTEXTUAL

After receiving the formal warning, the restaurant owner complied with the health inspector's demands immediately.

COMPLEX

Although the witness initially resisted the subpoena, they eventually complied with the court order to avoid being held in contempt.

Synonyms
Usage

Intransitive; almost always takes the preposition 'with' before the noun phrase.

Pitfall

they complied the rulesthey complied with the rulesComply is intransitive and cannot take a direct object; it must be followed by the preposition 'with'.

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