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

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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

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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

The 2018 peace accord that ended the war brought in a government of national unity where Kiir would serve as president and Machar his deputy.

From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2026

She said that her job is mostly just to monitor the DMs, since so many brands have been reaching out of their own accord.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026

During the course of 2025-26, 11 bosses parted company with their clubs, with only Enzo Maresca's resignation at Chelsea happening of his own accord.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

Orlando Alvarado, a name not disclosed by the Trump administration as a party to the accord, signed the agreement on behalf of the parent company, alongside Betancourt, Hegseth and Rubio.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

I’m relieved when the scholarship decisions are announced later in the festival, and they are in accord with my observations.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

But the logic of the accords has grown stronger.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

He has made climate accords with foreign nations, jetted to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping, and committed California to a net-zero “partnership” with China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 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

My emotional life accords with the designs, too.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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

The quiet welcome accorded Trump in Tokyo on Monday is in line with the nature of the trip to Japan, Trump’s fourth as president, which is billed as a working visit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 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

Slightly above six feet two, Jefferson towered over both Madison and Hamilton, and at forty-seven he was sufficiently their senior to enjoy the kind of respect accorded an older brother.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

In the aftermath, 8,500 flights were delayed and another 8,000 cancelled, according to FlightAware.

From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2026

Trust in the media is low in the Czech Republic, at around 30 to 33 percent, according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026.

From Barron's ● Nov. 15, 2026

Both brands make more than half their sales from middle-class consumers, according to Bernstein.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2026

Proteins are built from amino acids according to genetic instructions encoded in DNA.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2026

And according to many Black women in the neighborhood, he’s very handsome.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

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Related Words

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