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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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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ASVAB Word Knowledge
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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 ceasefire and demilitarisation accord is signed the next day in Sarajevo under UN auspices, but it is never respected.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Pressure has mounted for Bonta and Ellison to reach an accord to allow the merger to proceed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
In his campaign for the top Fed job, Warsh said he was open to a rewrite of the accord, but he hasn’t given any specifics.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
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 neat divisions between Whigs and Tories did not accord with the Adams sense of the political landscape during the 1770s.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
These accords involve Arab or Muslim countries normalizing relations with Israel.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
This accords with the Telegram post by EL which stated he had access to Nato and CIA documents because his father had been in Europe.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Established as part of the 1995 peace deal that ended Bosnia's inter-ethnic war, the high representative oversees the civilian implementation of the accords and enjoys sweeping powers in the Balkan nation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 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
He has, as a consequence of his crime, not only forfeited his liberty, but all his personal rights except those which the law in its humanity accords to him.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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
In the 2000s, derivatives created from subprime mortgages were accorded top credit ratings; now, the so-called illiquidity premium on portfolios of loans to small and midsize private companies is considered their secret sauce.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 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
Selecting a Thanksgiving day was a royal prerogative, he declared, accorded solely to him as the representative of the Catholic King James II. Andros named Dec. 1 as Thanksgiving Day for all New England.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
Though never accorded any official title, Handel contributed grand anthems and orchestral suites for the Hanover Georges, from the Water Music to the Music for the Royal Fireworks, for the rest of his life.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Residents in Denmark now consume 97 litres of water per person per day, according to Danva, the country's water and wastewater industry body.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
More than 7.5 million Americans took advantage of this provision this year, claiming an average deduction of $7,000, according to the US Treasury.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
In the first half of this year, around two-fifths of the country’s total electricity generation came from renewables, according to official data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
A man who went missing during a camping trip in Big Bear was found dead, according to authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
“They are the facts according to Comfort,” said Mr. Johnson.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
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.
