Complied to vs. Complied with – Which is Correct?
Use complied with when you mean acted in accordance with a request, rule, order, or standard. Complied to is generally nonstandard in modern English because the verb comply normally takes with. This guide explains the grammar, shows correct examples, and offers a simple memory trick for choosing the right preposition.
Complied to or Complied with – Which is Correct?
Complied with is the standard and correct phrase in American English and formal writing. It means followed, obeyed, or acted according to a request, instruction, law, rule, requirement, or standard.
Complied to is generally considered incorrect or nonstandard when it follows the verb comply. The confusion probably occurs because many verbs can be followed by to, including agree to, respond to, and listen to. However, the standard grammatical pattern is comply with.
The Best Trick to Remember the Difference
Remember the phrase “comply with conditions.” Both words begin with the same hard c sound, making the phrase easy to memorize: comply with a rule, comply with a request, and comply with the law.
You can also use the replacement test. If you can replace comply with with follow or obey, the sentence probably needs with: “The company complied with the regulation” means “The company followed the regulation.”
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| complied to | Nonstandard phrase | Usually an incorrect attempt to use the verb comply | Avoid: “They complied to the new policy.” |
| complied with | Verb phrase | Followed or obeyed a rule, request, order, or requirement | “They complied with the new policy.” |
How to Use Complied With
Complied with is the past-tense and past-participle form of comply with. Use it when a person, organization, group, or system followed a stated requirement or acted according to someone’s request. The phrase is especially common in formal, legal, business, medical, and administrative writing.
The object after with is usually a rule, law, order, request, instruction, regulation, standard, condition, or policy. The phrase can describe either voluntary cooperation or obedience required by authority.
Example 1: The contractor complied with all building regulations.
Example 2: The patient complied with the doctor’s instructions.
Example 3: The company complied with the court order before the deadline.
What Are the Different Forms of Complied With?
The base verb is comply, and it is normally followed by with when it takes an object. Its main forms are comply, complies, complied, and complying.
- Present: The organization complies with safety standards.
- Third-person singular: The organization complies with safety standards.
- Past: The organization complied with safety standards.
- Present participle: The organization is complying with safety standards.
- Past participle: The organization has complied with safety standards.
Because comply ends in a consonant followed by y, the y changes to i before -es or -ed: complies and complied. Before -ing, the spelling becomes complying.
Etymology of the Word Complied With
Comply entered English through Middle English and Anglo-French forms related to the Latin complere, meaning “to complete” or “to fulfill.” Over time, the verb developed the meaning “to fulfill a requirement” or “to act in agreement with a request.” The preposition with became the standard complement in modern English.
Related Concepts
Understanding verb-preposition combinations makes it easier to choose the correct form of this phrase. English verbs often require particular prepositions, and those combinations cannot always be predicted from general meaning.
The distinction is similar to the one explained in Compare To vs. Compare With, where preposition choice changes meaning and usage.
- Verb-preposition combinations: Some verbs naturally pair with specific prepositions. English uses comply with, belong to, depend on, and listen to.
- Transitive verb patterns: A transitive verb takes an object. In complied with the order, the noun phrase the order identifies the requirement that was followed.
- Formal register: Comply with is more formal than expressions such as follow or do what was requested, so it appears frequently in legal and professional writing.
- Past participles: Complied can be used with has, have, or had, as in “The business had complied with the regulation.”
Examples from Media and Literature
The standard phrase complied with appears in many formal and narrative contexts. These examples reflect the types of sentences commonly found in news reports, legal dramas, biographies, and professional documents.
- News reporting: “The airline stated that it had complied with all safety requirements before resuming service.”
- Legal reporting: “The defendant complied with the judge’s order and submitted the requested records.”
- Historical writing: “The local officials complied with the new administration’s instructions.”
- Business journalism: “The manufacturer complied with the industry’s updated environmental standards.”
- Fictional dialogue: “After receiving the captain’s command, the crew complied with the evacuation procedure.”
Complied With Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Followed | Acted according to a rule, instruction, or procedure |
| Obeyed | Did what an authority ordered or required |
| Adhered to | Maintained conformity with a rule, principle, or standard |
| Conformed to | Matched or acted in accordance with an accepted requirement |
| Fulfilled | Completed or satisfied a requirement or condition |
| Honored | Acted according to a promise, agreement, or obligation |
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Is “complied to” grammatically correct?
Usually, no. Standard English uses complied with, as in “The company complied with the law.” Replace to with with in most sentences containing this verb.
Question 2: Is it “complied with the request” or “complied to the request”?
The correct expression is complied with the request. You can also say responded to the request, but the preposition changes when you change the verb.
Question 3: What is the difference between “complied with” and “agreed to”?
Complied with means followed or obeyed an existing request, rule, or requirement. Agreed to means accepted a proposal, plan, or arrangement. For example, “She complied with the instructions” differs from “She agreed to the proposal.”
Conclusion
Use complied with, not complied to, when describing obedience to or fulfillment of a rule, request, order, or requirement. The reliable pattern is comply with the law, comply with instructions, and comply with a policy. Pro Tip: Using the correct verb-preposition combination strengthens your credibility in professional, academic, and legal writing.
