conform

[kuhn-fawrm]

verb (used without object)

1. to act according to or be obedient to a rule or norm (usually followed byto ).

   Every team must adopt and conform to league regulations.

   Synonyms: consent, agree, yield
   Antonyms: dissent

2. to be in harmony or accord (usually followed bywith ).

   These results conform with those of similar studies done in the past.

3. to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group.

   One has to conform in order to succeed in this company.

4. to be or become similar in form, nature, or character (usually followed byto ).

   Memory conforms to what we think we remember.

   I love how these slippers conform to my feet.

   Synonyms: tally, agree, correspond
   Antonyms: differ

5. to comply with the usages of an established church, especially the Church of England.

   Antonyms: dissent

verb (used with object)

1. to bring into agreement, correspondence, or harmony (usually used withto ).

   We need to conform our corporate practice to the new guidelines.

   Despite efforts to conform the data sets perfectly, some discrepancies will persist.

   Synonyms: accommodate, adjust, adapt

2. to make similar in form, nature, or character (usually used withto ).

   Do not try to conform your partner to your ideal.

adjective

1. Archaic.,  conformable.

conform

/ kənˈfɔːm /

verb

1. to comply in actions, behaviour, etc, with accepted standards or norms

2. to be in accordance; fit in

   he conforms with my idea of a teacher

3. to make or become similar in character or form

4. (intr) to comply with the practices of an established church, esp the Church of England

5. (tr) to bring (oneself, ideas, etc) into harmony or agreement

Grammar Note

All senses of conform necessarily involve an underlying comparison of one thing or person to another. To introduce the second thing, there are two acceptable prepositions— to and with —each being more common with certain senses. When the sense has to do with one of the things being the standard or guide for the other, the most usual preposition is to: This wiring does not conform to the building code. The car seat conforms to your body. When the sense has to do with two things that independently happen to agree or match, with is more common: Your observations conform with my own experience. However, in each case, the other preposition is also correct. When the relationship between the two things is not clear, to tends to prevail: Fortunately, the weather conformed to our expectations.

Other Word Forms

• conformer noun
• conformingly adverb
• nonconforming adjective
• preconform verb
• quasi-conforming adjective
• reconform verb
• unconformed adjective
• unconforming adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conform¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English confo(u)rmen, from Anglo-French, Middle French conformer, from Latin conformāre “to shape, describe, make to agree,” from con- con- + formāre “to shape, fashion” (from forma form )

Word History and Origins

Origin of conform¹

C14: from Old French conformer, from Latin confirmāre to establish, strengthen, from firmāre to make firm, from firmus _firm ¹

Example Sentences

A measure introduced Wednesday in the Los Angeles City Council directs officials to draft language conforming to the same standards.

From Los Angeles Times

"A lot of teams would make excuses but we are not one," Brook said, both conforming to and contradicting coach Brendon McCullum's call for humility.

From BBC

DHS has also threatened to cut off about $28 million in grants to help states prepare for terrorism and disasters if they don’t change voting rules to conform to the administration’s priorities, NPR has reported.

From Salon

She spent her whole life refusing to conform to society's many gender stereotypes and clichés.

From BBC

The Los Angeles we know has long been an irresistible subject for novelists and moviemakers — so much so that they’ve often tortured reality to make it conform to their imagination.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accommodate 
• attune 
• comply 
• coordinate 
• fit 
• harmonize 
• integrate 
• reconcile 
• tailor 
• yield