Defer vs Comply - What's the difference?
defer | comply |
To delay or postpone; especially to postpone induction into military service.
* Shakespeare
* {{quote-book
, year=1818
, author=Mary Shelley
, title=Frankenstein
, chapter=3
to delay, to wait
* Milton
(American football) to choose to kick off after winning the opening coin toss.
(legal) To submit to the opinion or desire of another in respect to their judgment or authority.
* Francis Bacon
* 1899 ,
to render, to offer
* Brevint
To yield assent; to accord; agree, or acquiesce; to adapt one's self; to consent or conform.
* (John Milton) (1608-1674)
* (John Tillotson) (1630-1694)
* 1664? , , (Hudibras)
*{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers)
, chapter=6, title= *
(label) To be ceremoniously courteous; to make one's compliments.
* 1599 , , II. ii. 371:
(label) To fulfill; to accomplish.
(label) To enfold; to embrace.
* (1591-1674)
As verbs the difference between defer and comply
is that defer is to delay or postpone; especially to postpone induction into military service while comply is to yield assent; to accord; agree, or acquiesce; to adapt one's self; to consent or conform.defer
English
Etymology 1
* From (etyl) differer, from (etyl) .Verb
(deferr)- Defer the spoil of the city until night.
citation, passage=My departure for Ingolstadt, which had been deferred by these events, was now again determined upon.}}
- God will not long defer / To vindicate the glory of his name.
Derived terms
* deferralEtymology 2
* From (etyl)Verb
(deferr)- Hereupon the commissioners deferred the matter to the Earl of Northumberland.
- "Well, I must defer to your judgment. You are captain," he said with marked civility.
- worship deferred to the Virgin
Derived terms
* deferenceAnagrams
* * ----comply
English
Verb
(en-verb)- Yet this be sure, in nothing to comply , / Scandalous or forbidden in our law.
- They did servilely comply with the people in worshiping God by sensible images.
- He that complies against his will / Is of his own opinion still.
A Cuckoo in the Nest, passage=But Sophia's mother was not the woman to brook defiance. After a few moments' vain remonstrance her husband complied .}}
- Let me comply with you in this / garb, lest my extent to the players, which I tell you must / show fairly outwards, should more appear like entertainment / than yours.
- (Chapman)
- Seemed to comply , / Cloudlike, the daintie deitie.