correct
Americanverb (used with object)
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corrects,
present (3rd person singular)
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corrected,
past participle, past
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correcting
present participle
-
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.
-
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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corrects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
corrected,
past participle, past
-
correcting
present participle
-
to make a correction or corrections.
-
(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.
-
in accordance with an acknowledged or accepted standard; proper.
correct behavior.
-
(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
-
free from error; true; accurate
the correct version
-
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
-
correctssimple
-
have correctedperfect
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has correctedperfect
-
am correctingprogressive
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are correctingprogressive
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is correctingprogressive
-
have been correctingperfect progressive
-
has been correctingperfect progressive
Past
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correctedsimple
-
had correctedperfect
-
was correctingprogressive
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were correctingprogressive
-
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:
A spokesperson said staff followed the correct procedure in unloading the waste as soon as they became aware of the fire.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
He’s lived long enough to get used to the feeling of being unfortunately, awfully correct.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
It wasn’t to ask a question or to correct some administrative detail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The aircraft manufacturer said the inspections provide opportunities to detect and correct possible cracks before they exceed a critical length.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
All three children were quite correct, for the British Museum had recently been given a new entrance that looked like something out of ancient Greece.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
As the market corrects its math, the quality names should outperform.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
The system includes specialized data processing that i.e. corrects for factors such as Earth tides.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2026
On Monday, Renfe President Álvaro Fernández Heredia apparently ruled out "human error", telling RNE TV show Las Mañanas that, if "the driver makes a mistake, the system itself corrects it".
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 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
“But, it’s Peña with an n,” she corrects.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
This market talk item was corrected at 0206 GMT to reflect the original item incorrectly attributed the research to UBS instead of Citi throughout the blurb.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Woods earlier reported the record time as 29 days, but corrected it in an email to The Times on Monday, saying she and her husband George “were all so exhausted they hadn’t calculated correctly.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Modi also said "mistakes made in youth" should be corrected through guidance rather than legal action, referring to the police cases.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
The only sport I am aware of where it doesn't happen, and I'd happily stand corrected here, is golf, because of its self-policing nature.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
But if Scrappy was just getting corrected, maybe that wouldn’t take too long.
From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor
In another study using different methods, researchers at Imperial College in London and Indiana University concluded that correcting this disparity would require insurers to hold even more capital.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
“I’m his lawyer,” Blanche replied, before correcting himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
In an ancient form of marking homework, a second person's hand can be seen changing mistakes, "going along and correcting them later and adding breath marks", he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
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
The docile, obedient student came home a shrill and precocious son who insisted on correcting and teaching his parents with the remark: ‘My teacher told us....’
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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.
