conform

conform — 動詞

1. to act, dress, or think the way most members of your community do, matching thei

1.動詞不及物B2
釋義

順從；從眾

按照社會群體的期望行事

to act, dress, or think the way most members of your community do, matching their standards rather than choosing a completely individual path.

例句

Many teenagers feel pressure to conform to the fashion choices of their friends.

許多青少年感受到必須順從朋友時尚選擇的壓力。

conform to + noun phrase (social norms)

Kemi refused to conform and wore her own style of clothing to school every day.

Kemi 拒絕從眾，每天都穿著自己風格的服裝上學。

同義詞
  • fit in

    informal; emphasises being accepted by a group rather than following rules

  • follow the crowd

    idiomatic; suggests doing what everyone else does without thinking

  • comply

    more formal and related to rules or instructions rather than social norms

反義詞
  • rebel

    to actively go against the expectations of a group or society

  • deviate

    to take a different path or approach from what is considered normal

文法句型

conform + to + noun phrase (social group, norms, expectations)

用法筆記

Commonly describes social behaviour and peer pressure. The person or group being followed is introduced by 'to'. This sense is typically about unwritten social expectations rather than formal rules or laws.

常見錯誤

❌She refused to conform the group.
✅She refused to conform to the group.
💡'conform' is intransitive; when specifying what someone follows, use 'to'.

2. to follow a law, rule, or official standard that controls how things must be don

2.動詞不及物B2
釋義

遵守；符合

遵循法律、規則或標準

to follow a law, rule, or official standard that controls how things must be done, made, or organised.

例句

All electrical products must conform to international safety standards before they can be sold.

所有電器產品在銷售前都必須符合國際安全標準。

modal + conform to + safety standards

The architect realised that the design did not conform to the local fire codes.

建築師發現這項設計不符合當地的消防法規。

negative: did not conform to + regulations

同義詞
  • comply with

    equally formal; commonly used in legal and regulatory writing

  • adhere to

    suggests a stronger commitment to following principles strictly

  • abide by

    common for rules, laws, and agreements; slightly less formal

反義詞
  • violate

    to break a law, rule, or agreement

  • breach

    formal; to break a contract, law, or code of conduct

文法句型

conform + to + noun phrase (law, rule, regulation, standard)

用法筆記

Frequent in legal, regulatory, and business writing. The subject is often an organisation, product, process, or policy rather than an individual person distinguishing this sense from sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌The factory conforms with all safety regulations.
✅The factory conforms to all safety regulations.
💡In the rule-following sense, 'conform to' is the standard construction; 'conform with' is more common for sense 3 (matching/corresponding).

3. to be like something else or to match it closely in shape, quality, or character

3.動詞不及物C1
釋義

相符；一致

在形式或性質上相同或相似

to be like something else or to match it closely in shape, quality, or character.

例句

His description of the accident did not conform with the official police report.

他對事故的描述與警方的正式報告不相符。

conform with + noun phrase (correspondence)

The actual measurements of the room conformed closely to the architect's original drawings.

房間的實際尺寸與建築師的原始圖紙非常相符。

adverb: conformed closely to

同義詞
  • correspond

    neutral and common in academic contexts; often used with 'to'

  • match

    more informal and direct; widely used in everyday language

  • align with

    suggests being in agreement or harmony with something

反義詞
  • differ

    to be unlike or distinct from something

  • contradict

    to be in direct opposition to something, especially in facts or statements

文法句型

conform + to/with + noun phrase

用法筆記

Distinguish from senses 1 and 2: this sense describes correspondence or similarity in form and character rather than following social expectations or obeying rules. 'Conform with' is especially common in academic and technical writing for this meaning.

常見錯誤

❌The results conform to our hypothesis' (when the intended meaning is pure correspondence).
✅The results conform with our hypothesis.
💡This sense allows both 'to' and 'with', but 'conform with' more clearly signals matching/correspondence rather than rule-following.