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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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:
Banks have said decisions to avoid certain industries or clients are in accord with anti-money-laundering laws or are in response to other regulatory pressures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Tech bosses at a White House meeting this week signed a commitment to self-police AI, an accord Trump described as "morally binding."
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
It was barred the following year, when a peace accord largely ended three decades of conflict over British rule.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Zuckerberg said the accord gives the "American people and customers the confidence that the technology works" as intended, calling the meeting a "historic conversation".
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Why, then, had peoples of those outlying areas not already begun to grow them of their own accord?
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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 violence largely ended with the signing of peace accords in 1998.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
The Israeli prime minister famously clashed with Bill Clinton over the implementation of the Oslo peace accords.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Such a hypothesis accords as well with the animism found in ethnographic societies the world over.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
The court’s authority under the Rome Statute, the judges ruled, overrides immunity accorded heads of state under treaties such as the Vienna Convention, which governs diplomatic relations between governments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
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
From his election onwards, he turned down many privileges traditionally accorded to the Pope.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025
The treatment accorded the Negro during the Second World War marks, for me, a turning point in the Negro’s relation to America.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
It comes after almost 7.3 million people attended A&E between June and August in England, according to NHS data, the highest ever figure for a summer period.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Vietnam said the agreement showed the parties' resolve to "reinforce the rules-based trading system amid continued volatility in the global economy", according to a government statement.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
The Prigozhin family business, including both legitimate and criminal enterprises, generates more than $400 million a year, according to estimates by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, a Geneva-based think tank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
The waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England rose for the second month in a row, according to the latest data.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
But according to the trolls, it was a stiltskin that grew from poison.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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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.
