correct
Americanverb (used with object)
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to set or make true, accurate, or right; remove the errors or faults from: The new glasses corrected his eyesight.
The native guide corrected our pronunciation.
The new glasses corrected his eyesight.
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to point out or mark the errors in.
The teacher corrected the examination papers.
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to scold, rebuke, or punish in order to improve.
Should parents correct their children in public?
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to counteract the operation or effect of (something hurtful or undesirable).
The medication will correct stomach acidity.
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Mathematics, Physics. to alter or adjust so as to bring into accordance with a standard or with a required condition.
verb (used without object)
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to make a correction or corrections.
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(of stock prices) to reverse a trend, especially temporarily, as after a sharp advance or decline in previous trading sessions.
adjective
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conforming to fact or truth; free from error; accurate.
a correct answer.
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in accordance with an acknowledged or accepted standard; proper.
correct behavior.
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(of a judgment or opinion) just or right.
I feel this decision is correct because of the defendant’s age.
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characterized by or adhering to a liberal or progressive ideology on matters of ethnicity, religion, sexuality, ecology, etc..
Is it environmentally correct to buy a real Christmas tree?
Most of the judges in this district have correct political views.
verb
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to make free from errors
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to indicate the errors in
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to rebuke or punish in order to set right or improve
to correct a child
to stand corrected
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to counteract or rectify (a malfunction, ailment, etc)
these glasses will correct your sight
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to adjust or make conform, esp to a standard
adjective
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free from error; true; accurate
the correct version
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in conformity with accepted standards
correct behaviour
Synonym Usage
See punish. Correct, accurate, precise imply conformity to fact, standard, or truth. A correct statement is one free from error, mistakes, or faults. An accurate statement is one that shows careful conformity to fact, truth, or spirit. A precise statement shows scrupulously strict and detailed conformity to fact.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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correctabilitynoun
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correctibilitynoun
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correctnessnoun
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correctornoun
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recorrectverb (used with object)
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correctableadjective
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correctibleadjective
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uncorrectedadjective
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well-correctedadjective
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correctlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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correctsimple
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correctssimple
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have correctedperfect
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has correctedperfect
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am correctingprogressive
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are correctingprogressive
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is correctingprogressive
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have been correctingperfect progressive
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has been correctingperfect progressive
Past
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correctedsimple
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had correctedperfect
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was correctingprogressive
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were correctingprogressive
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had been correctingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of correct
First recorded in 1300–50; (verb) Middle English correcten, from Anglo-French correcter, from Latin corrēctus (past participle of corrigere “to make straight, set right”) equivalent to cor- cor- + reg- (stem of regere “to keep straight, make straight, guide” ( see direct) + -tus past participle suffix; (adjective) from French correct, from Latin, as above
Explanation
When something is true, legitimate or right, you can say it's correct, using the word as an adjective. It can also be a verb; to correct wrong answers is to adjust them to make them right. The origin of correct can be found in the Latin word regere, "to guide," which became correctus as the past participle of corrigere, meaning "to straighten." When you correct your posture, you sit up straight. Sometimes when your cell phone tries to correct your spelling you can end up with some amusing sentences.
Vocabulary lists containing correct
Century 21 Accounting, 9e, Chapters 4-7
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That meant the system erroneously believed some cars had been lapped because they were not showing up on the correct timing loops, so it started showing blue flags when no-one had been lapped.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Pleading with you until you agreed, even though she is sick, was not the correct way to approach your friendship.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Most existing diabetes medications do not directly correct the protein-folding problems that may contribute to beta cell failure.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The EFTC’s supporters are correct that schools’ variable expenses — which is primarily the cost of educators and administrators — can be adjusted downward.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I don’t mind any of them, but dwarf is the appropriate word since I have dwarfism. But the acceptable term if you want to be politically correct is little person.”
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
As the market corrects its math, the quality names should outperform.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
This repair system, known as DNA mismatch repair, corrects mistakes that occur when cells copy genetic material.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2026
The Senate last month passed the Math Act, which corrects the often infuriating way the agency handles clerical errors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
“I think there is going to be a short-term fluctuation in the trend that ultimately corrects itself and resumes the path it was on while Netanyahu is in power,” he said.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2025
“Euthanize. And that’s a last resort,” Claire corrects.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
The image was cropped, enhanced to improve contrast, and corrected to remove lens artifacts.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
The company’s stock has corrected around 20% from its March high, which brings its valuations back to attractive levels, she adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
If VAR had been available, Scottish referee Hugh Dallas could have corrected the missed call, awarding a penalty and giving Frings a red card, expelling him for the final 40 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
That imbalance will be corrected and the two measures will converge.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Somehow she understood that my missteps came from ignorance, not intention, and she corrected me gently but frankly.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
They also identify ACOT1 as a possible new drug target and suggest that correcting disrupted fatty acid metabolism could become a useful strategy for treating RA.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
Let’s start by correcting misrepresentations in vastly longer accounts produced elsewhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
After correcting, he was greeted by a section of The Oval crowd rising to applaud him.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Coleman explained that when answering the phones, the first step is often correcting the way callers think.
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026
She watched the cheating husbands and scheming wives as faithfully as ever, but she didn’t reprimand them anymore, as if she’d given up correcting the errors of the world.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
