accord
Americanverb (used without object)
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accords,
present (3rd person singular)
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accorded,
past participle, past
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according
present participle
verb (used with object)
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accords,
present (3rd person singular)
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accorded,
past participle, past
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according
present participle
noun
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accords
plural
idioms
noun
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agreement; conformity; accordance (esp in the phrase in accord with )
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consent or concurrence of opinion
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unanimously
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pleasing relationship between sounds, colours, etc; harmony
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a settlement of differences, as between nations; compromise
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voluntarily
verb
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to be or cause to be in harmony or agreement
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(tr) to grant; bestow
Usage
What does accord mean? To accord is to agree or be in harmony with someone or something. Accord is usually used formally to mean to work together. It is often used in official decrees, analysis of public figures, and governmental affairs. Related to this, an accord is an agreement. In particular when nations agree to something, we often say they have reached an accord, as with the Paris Climate Accords. To accord can also mean to grant or bestow. Oftentimes an item that is accorded is something that will strengthen a relationship or agreement, as with according someone praise or forgiveness. Example: Failure to reach an accord will mean the battle will continue for years to come.
Synonym Usage
See correspond.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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accordernoun
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nonaccordnoun
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preaccordnoun
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accordableadjective
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unaccordableadjective
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unaccordedadjective
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well-accordedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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accordsimple
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accordssimple
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have accordedperfect
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has accordedperfect
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am accordingprogressive
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are accordingprogressive
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is accordingprogressive
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have been accordingperfect progressive
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has been accordingperfect progressive
Past
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accordedsimple
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had accordedperfect
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was accordingprogressive
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were accordingprogressive
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had been accordingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of accord
First recorded in 1100–50; Middle English a(c)corden, late Old English acordan, from Old French acorder, from Vulgar Latin accordāre (unrecorded), from Latin ac- ac- + cor (stem cord- ) “heart” ( see cordial); see also heart
Explanation
An accord is an agreement between groups or even nations, like a formal peace accord that prevents war or the accord between you and your sister specifying who gets to use the car on which days. Accord is an agreeable word. If you and your best friend are always in accord, you agree about everything. And if you do something of your own accord, you do it without prompting from someone else. As a verb, accord means to be in harmony or agreement, or to allow. Perhaps your enhanced vocabulary will accord you, or allow you, a better understanding of language.
Vocabulary lists containing accord
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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:
Paris and Berlin had long been at loggerheads on the course Europe should take as it seeks to revive its struggling auto industry and the accord is likely to shape the continent's policy going forward.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Banks have said decisions to avoid certain industries or clients are in accord with anti-money-laundering laws or are in response to other regulatory pressures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Early last week, President Trump and tech executives from Anthropic, Google, Meta, OpenAI, Nvidia and others signed a voluntary accord to “self-police” AI development.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The procession last proceeded along Garvaghy Road in 1997 and was barred the following year, soon after a peace accord largely ended three decades of conflict over British rule.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Whites, therefore, were excluded from the law, although some went to the combat schools of their own accord, since it was good to know how to protect one’s self in these dangerous times.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
The prospect of geopolitical accords were a relief for stock indexes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
These accords involve Arab or Muslim countries normalizing relations with Israel.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
"The Claw" now stands on the same storied lawn where president Bill Clinton hosted the 1993 Oslo peace accords signing and Richard Nixon gave his final farewell.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
The Israeli prime minister famously clashed with Bill Clinton over the implementation of the Oslo peace accords.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Such a hypothesis accords as well with the animism found in ethnographic societies the world over.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
You’ll notice that the coyote isn’t even accorded a jury of his peers, merely two animated jurors out of 12, and one is a silly goose.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
This column has long maintained that a major operation to wrest control of the Persian Gulf would be recommitting to a strategic past that accorded excessive primacy to the Gulf and its oil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Unusually for a foreign national, Sir Mark was accorded two of India's top civilian honours: the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026
That AFP was accorded rare access to film and photograph a competition for women and girls was itself a sign of greater official openness.
From Barron's ● Nov. 17, 2025
She was still surprised by the enthusiastic reception she was accorded.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
The Norte Fire is one of 13 burning across the state, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Avian flu, cost-cutting and Brexit are among the reasons behind the transfer of captive birds from one of Northern Ireland's best-known wildlife sites, according to the charity that runs it.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
"If I could have prevented this, I would have," she said, according to The New York Times.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The fire has burned roughly 250 acres as of 2 p.m., according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Thomas Jefferson also loved music, according to Isaac.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
