accord

American  

[uh-kawrd] / əˈkɔrd /

verb (used without object)

• accords,
  present (3rd person singular)
• accorded,
  past participle,  past
• according
  present participle

1. to be in agreement or harmony; agree.

   Synonyms:

   concur, harmonize

   Antonyms:

   conflict

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verb (used with object)

• accords,
  present (3rd person singular)
• accorded,
  past participle,  past
• according
  present participle

1. to make agree or correspond; adapt.

   Synonyms:

   reconcile

2. to grant; bestow.

   to accord due praise.

   Antonyms:

   withdraw, deny, withhold

3. Archaic. to settle; reconcile.

noun

• accords
  plural

1. proper relationship or proportion; harmony.

2. a harmonious union of sounds, colors, etc.

3. consent or concurrence of opinions or wills; agreement.

4. an international agreement; settlement of questions outstanding among nations.

idioms

1. of one's own accord, without being asked or told; voluntarily.

   We did the extra work of our own accord.

accord British  

/ əˈkɔːd /

noun

1. agreement; conformity; accordance (esp in the phrase in accord with )

2. consent or concurrence of opinion

3. unanimously

4. pleasing relationship between sounds, colours, etc; harmony

5. a settlement of differences, as between nations; compromise

6. voluntarily

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verb

1. to be or cause to be in harmony or agreement

2. (tr) to grant; bestow

accord More Idioms  

1. see of one's own accord.

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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

• accorder
  noun
• nonaccord
  noun
• preaccord
  noun
• accordable
  adjective
• unaccordable
  adjective
• unaccorded
  adjective
• well-accorded
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• accords
  plural

Participles

• according
  present
• accorded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• accord
  simple
• accords
  simple
• have accorded
  perfect
• has accorded
  perfect
• am according
  progressive
• are according
  progressive
• is according
  progressive
• have been according
  perfect progressive
• has been according
  perfect progressive

Past

• accorded
  simple
• had accorded
  perfect
• was according
  progressive
• were according
  progressive
• had been according
  perfect progressive

Future

• will accord
  simple
• will have accorded
  perfect
• will be according
  progressive
• will have been according
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accord accords accorded according

Under the terms approved Wednesday, the two sides must reach an accord on the cost of those additional services by October 2027.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The move could complicate a 30-year accord to give the kingdom a civilian nuclear program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Washington recently declined to extend the accord in its current form.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

If negotiations were to resume, it’s unclear whether Trump and his coterie of negotiators have the stamina or the foreign service expertise to bring about an accord.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Of their own accord they could no more run to the hills than fly to the moon.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

These accords involve Arab or Muslim countries normalizing relations with Israel.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

Sudan, Morocco and Kazakhstan have since also signed the accords.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The 2015 Paris climate accords aimed to limit global warming to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels -- and preferably below 1.5C.

From Barron's ● May 28, 2026

Each turnover being a rare event, most every fresh host has been greeted with a chorus of “Who? What? Why?” before time accords the newcomer a patina of inevitability.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

“It is here written, ‘Seven entered Meereen to sign the peace accords and witness the celebratory games at the Pit of Daznak.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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

From his election onwards, he turned down many privileges traditionally accorded to the Pope.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025

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

Fans — many? most? all? — saw these arrests as special bad treatment accorded to a famous person, but, says Reubens, “30 years later, I still feel the effects all the time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025

The town had embraced her with the warmth accorded a native daughter; she had called it home longer than any other place she’d lived in in her thirty-two years.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

That angle led to a headline in the California Post, which declared that “Spencer Pratt’s voters could be deciding factor in LA mayor showdown according to latest poll.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

The second is expected to occur on Aug. 21, this Friday, according to RBC analysts.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

Along with lower planned capex, sales over the longer term are likely to be lower than expected, according to JPM’s calculations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

But according to Patterson's lawyers, a "fundamental irregularity" occurred which "fatally undermined" the integrity of the verdicts.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

We all had left Ophir according to the times we got there, also our places in the race.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Related Words

• affirm
• agree
• conform
• correspond