correct
Americanverb (used with object)
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corrects,
present (3rd person singular)
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corrected,
past participle, past
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correcting
present participle
-
to set or make true, accurate, or right; remove the errors or faults from: The new glasses corrected his eyesight.
The native guide corrected our pronunciation.
The new glasses corrected his eyesight.
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to point out or mark the errors in.
The teacher corrected the examination papers.
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to scold, rebuke, or punish in order to improve.
Should parents correct their children in public?
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to counteract the operation or effect of (something hurtful or undesirable).
The medication will correct stomach acidity.
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Mathematics, Physics. to alter or adjust so as to bring into accordance with a standard or with a required condition.
verb (used without object)
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corrects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
corrected,
past participle, past
-
correcting
present participle
-
to make a correction or corrections.
-
(of stock prices) to reverse a trend, especially temporarily, as after a sharp advance or decline in previous trading sessions.
adjective
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conforming to fact or truth; free from error; accurate.
a correct answer.
-
in accordance with an acknowledged or accepted standard; proper.
correct behavior.
-
(of a judgment or opinion) just or right.
I feel this decision is correct because of the defendant’s age.
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characterized by or adhering to a liberal or progressive ideology on matters of ethnicity, religion, sexuality, ecology, etc..
Is it environmentally correct to buy a real Christmas tree?
Most of the judges in this district have correct political views.
verb
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to make free from errors
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to indicate the errors in
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to rebuke or punish in order to set right or improve
to correct a child
to stand corrected
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to counteract or rectify (a malfunction, ailment, etc)
these glasses will correct your sight
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to adjust or make conform, esp to a standard
adjective
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free from error; true; accurate
the correct version
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in conformity with accepted standards
correct behaviour
Synonym Usage
See punish. Correct, accurate, precise imply conformity to fact, standard, or truth. A correct statement is one free from error, mistakes, or faults. An accurate statement is one that shows careful conformity to fact, truth, or spirit. A precise statement shows scrupulously strict and detailed conformity to fact.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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correctabilitynoun
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correctibilitynoun
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correctnessnoun
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correctornoun
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recorrectverb (used with object)
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correctableadjective
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correctibleadjective
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uncorrectedadjective
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well-correctedadjective
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correctlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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correctsimple
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correctssimple
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have correctedperfect
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has correctedperfect
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am correctingprogressive
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are correctingprogressive
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is correctingprogressive
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have been correctingperfect progressive
-
has been correctingperfect progressive
Past
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correctedsimple
-
had correctedperfect
-
was correctingprogressive
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were correctingprogressive
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had been correctingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of correct
First recorded in 1300–50; (verb) Middle English correcten, from Anglo-French correcter, from Latin corrēctus (past participle of corrigere “to make straight, set right”) equivalent to cor- cor- + reg- (stem of regere “to keep straight, make straight, guide” ( see direct) + -tus past participle suffix; (adjective) from French correct, from Latin, as above
Explanation
When something is true, legitimate or right, you can say it's correct, using the word as an adjective. It can also be a verb; to correct wrong answers is to adjust them to make them right. The origin of correct can be found in the Latin word regere, "to guide," which became correctus as the past participle of corrigere, meaning "to straighten." When you correct your posture, you sit up straight. Sometimes when your cell phone tries to correct your spelling you can end up with some amusing sentences.
Vocabulary lists containing correct
Century 21 Accounting, 9e, Chapters 4-7
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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:
Director Alex Myers has seen teens try to sweep without touching the broom to the floor; he has to intervene to correct them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
He said the correct Fed policy decision would be to stay on hold until these contradictory signals abate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
John, Croydon: That is one of those decisions that pundits will insist is correct, but people in pubs up and down the country know is bonkers.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Engelhardt may be technically correct that there’s no explicit law on the books about bodily integrity, but he’s wrong in a much broader sense.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
“If my understanding of theatrical custom is correct, the interval will soon be over, and the actors will have to return to the theater to perform the second act. We simply must hide until then.”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
He corrects himself: “I’m having a riotous time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
He pauses, then corrects himself: "As fast as possible, of course."
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
“It’s not a romance, it’s a love story,” she immediately corrects him.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
As the market corrects its math, the quality names should outperform.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
I know about ovipositors, for laying eggs, on leaves, on caterpillars, on the surface of the water; they’re right out on the page, clearly labeled, on the diagrams of insects my father corrects at home.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
When I referred to the luxury resort as a tourism development, he corrected me: “It’s just making money, it’s not about the development of tourism,” he said.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
He was corrected by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins who laughed and joked: "Secretary Burgum has to do a little magic."
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
He added the £2m would address some of the extra funding needed but he wanted to discuss how funding shortfalls could "urgently and permanently be corrected".
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
He wanted to let his daughter, Stella Banderas, and stepchildren Dakota Johnson and Alexander Bauer do what they wanted with their lives so that they would pay attention when he corrected them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
“He lays in clean straw,” corrected Mr. Zuckerman.
From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
"But correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth."
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Comedian John Mulaney has a bit about the kid at a sleepover who waits until after midnight to announce, “It’s tomorrow now,” then spends the rest of the night correcting everyone.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
“What’s up L.A.?” he paused before correcting himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
In another study using different methods, researchers at Imperial College in London and Indiana University concluded that correcting this disparity would require insurers to hold even more capital.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
I mean, I’m usually Astrid Jones, pacifist poet type who doesn’t usually pick fights outside of correcting your grammar.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
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.
