diff --git a/REQUIRE b/REQUIRE
index d91053d7b..ca35fd09e 100644
--- a/REQUIRE
+++ b/REQUIRE
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 julia 0.5
-Compat 0.13.0
-DataStructures 0.5.0
\ No newline at end of file
+Compat 0.17.0
+DataStructures 0.5.0
diff --git a/perf/sampling.jl b/perf/sampling.jl
index 3f2289cb1..393f18276 100644
--- a/perf/sampling.jl
+++ b/perf/sampling.jl
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
-# Benchmark on non-weighted sampling 
+# Benchmark on non-weighted sampling
 
 # require the BenchmarkLite package
 using BenchmarkLite
 using StatsBase
+using Compat
 
 import StatsBase: direct_sample!, xmultinom_sample!
 import StatsBase: knuths_sample!, fisher_yates_sample!, self_avoid_sample!
@@ -12,8 +13,8 @@ import StatsBase: seqsample_a!, seqsample_c!
 
 type SampleProc{Alg} <: Proc end
 
-abstract WithRep 
-abstract NoRep
+@compat abstract type WithRep end
+@compat abstract type NoRep end
 
 type Direct <: WithRep end
 tsample!(s::Direct, a, x) = direct_sample!(a, x)
diff --git a/perf/wsampling.jl b/perf/wsampling.jl
index ab4543ff5..8e1f53c61 100644
--- a/perf/wsampling.jl
+++ b/perf/wsampling.jl
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 using BenchmarkLite
 using StatsBase
+using Compat
 
 import StatsBase: direct_sample!, alias_sample!, xmultinom_sample!
 
@@ -9,8 +10,8 @@ import StatsBase: direct_sample!, alias_sample!, xmultinom_sample!
 
 type WSampleProc{Alg} <: Proc end
 
-abstract WithRep
-abstract NoRep
+@compat abstract type WithRep end
+@compat abstract type NoRep end
 
 type Direct <: WithRep end
 tsample!(s::Direct, wv, x) = direct_sample!(1:length(wv), wv, x)
diff --git a/src/hist.jl b/src/hist.jl
index 159d15d5b..84be79f8c 100644
--- a/src/hist.jl
+++ b/src/hist.jl
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ function sturges(n)  # Sturges' formula
     ceil(Integer, log2(n))+1
 end
 
-abstract AbstractHistogram{T<:Real,N,E}
+@compat abstract type AbstractHistogram{T<:Real,N,E} end
 
 # N-dimensional histogram object
 type Histogram{T<:Real,N,E} <: AbstractHistogram{T,N,E}
diff --git a/src/statmodels.jl b/src/statmodels.jl
index 97b69a514..c9e37e678 100644
--- a/src/statmodels.jl
+++ b/src/statmodels.jl
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Statistical Models
 
-abstract StatisticalModel
+@compat abstract type StatisticalModel end
 
 coef(obj::StatisticalModel) = error("coef is not defined for $(typeof(obj)).")
 coeftable(obj::StatisticalModel) = error("coeftable is not defined for $(typeof(obj)).")
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ end
 
 const adjr² = adjr2
 
-abstract RegressionModel <: StatisticalModel
+@compat abstract type RegressionModel <: StatisticalModel end
 
 fitted(obj::RegressionModel) = error("fitted is not defined for $(typeof(obj)).")
 model_response(obj::RegressionModel) = error("model_response is not defined for $(typeof(obj)).")