correspond
Americanverb (used without object)
-
corresponds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
corresponded,
past participle, past
-
corresponding
present participle
-
to be in agreement or conformity (often followed by with or to).
His actions do not correspond with his words.
-
to be similar or analogous; be equivalent in function, position, amount, etc. (usually followed by to).
The U.S. Congress corresponds to the British Parliament.
-
to communicate by exchange of letters.
verb
-
to conform, be in agreement, or be consistent or compatible (with); tally (with)
-
(usually foll by to) to be similar or analogous in character or function
-
(usually foll by with) to communicate by letter
Synonym Usage
Correspond, agree, accord imply comparing persons or things and finding that they harmonize. Correspond suggests having an obvious similarity, though not agreeing in every detail: Part of this report corresponds with the facts. Agree implies having or arriving at a condition in which no essential difference of opinion or detail is evident: All the reports agree. Accord emphasizes agreeing exactly, both in fact and in point of view: This report accords with the other.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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correspondsimple
-
correspondssimple
-
have correspondedperfect
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has correspondedperfect
-
am correspondingprogressive
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are correspondingprogressive
-
is correspondingprogressive
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have been correspondingperfect progressive
-
has been correspondingperfect progressive
Past
-
correspondedsimple
-
had correspondedperfect
-
was correspondingprogressive
-
were correspondingprogressive
-
had been correspondingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of correspond
First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French, from Medieval Latin corrēspondēre; equivalent to cor- + respond
Explanation
When two things correspond, they match up or are equivalent to one another. You might come up with a code in which numbers correspond to letters of the alphabet. Correspond can also mean to send messages back and forth. You can use your code to correspond with your pen pal. The word correspond can mean "communicating back and forth," like using email to correspond with a far-away cousin. It can also mean "be alike," as in having friends whose interests and personalities correspond to your own. Finally, it can be "be equal to," as in getting a score on a standardized test that corresponds with those of students taking the same subjects as you but who live in other states or countries.
Vocabulary lists containing correspond
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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ACT Vocabulary List
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"Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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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:
He also apologized for befriending Oxford, and he signed off with a request to correspond and perhaps visit someday.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
What’s more, the value added by his investment may not exactly correspond to the amount he spends on it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
“I remember we would correspond over Twitter DMs, and she just seemed very excited to be helpful in any way,” Matthews said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Each step is often assumed to correspond to a distinct brain function, moving from sensory processing to cognition and then to motor activity.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
We do correspond quite regularly, the usual theme of Mvrna’s correspondence tending to urge me to participate in lie-ins and wade-ins and sit-ins and such.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
That corresponds to a precision of 0.7% and an accuracy of 0.4%.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
In this case, it corresponds to the probability that the device produces the correct result when given a pure W-state input.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026
“Relative to the sample mean of $17.5 million, this corresponds to an incremental increase of approximately $83 million to $104 million in funds raised.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
“For violent and property offences, the reduction in prison admissions corresponds primarily with substantial declines in crime rates, not changes in policing or case processing,” the authors note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
A single story corresponds with each author’s name.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
I corresponded with con artists and attended a strange “medical” appointment that promised me invisible surgery and extraterrestrial matchmaking.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Since then, I’ve corresponded with Nimblewill Nomad, the record holder and caretaker of a hostel at Flagg Mountain, the start of the Pinhoti Trail in Alabama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
They have corresponded with previous market tops in 2000, 2007 and 2021, according to Leuthold.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Although fructose and glucose produced similar short-term effects on food intake, the mice eventually developed preferences that corresponded to the degree of AgRP neuron inhibition triggered by each sugar.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
The map showed an oval landmark with ridges running through it, but nothing of the sort corresponded to anything they could see.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
“Our investment approach is thesis-driven,” Gryseels said in an interview, identifying the advent of AI and corresponding infrastructure needs as a major theme.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Around June 21, the corresponding effect occurs over South America and South Africa.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
"Wider data suggests there has been a corresponding fall in need for food banks, not just use, external".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Don’t read too much into the Dodgers’ corresponding move for Ohtani on Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
I knew this because ever since I started corresponding with Martin, I had been studying African geography.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
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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.
