correct
Americanverb (used with object)
-
corrects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
corrected,
past participle, past
-
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.
-
to point out or mark the errors in.
The teacher corrected the examination papers.
-
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.
-
Mathematics, Physics. to alter or adjust so as to bring into accordance with a standard or with a required condition.
verb (used without object)
-
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
-
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
-
to make free from errors
-
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
-
to counteract or rectify (a malfunction, ailment, etc)
these glasses will correct your sight
-
to adjust or make conform, esp to a standard
adjective
-
free from error; true; accurate
the correct version
-
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
-
recorrectverb (used with object)
-
correctableadjective
-
correctibleadjective
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uncorrectedadjective
-
well-correctedadjective
-
correctlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
correctsimple
-
correctssimple
-
have correctedperfect
-
has correctedperfect
-
am correctingprogressive
-
are correctingprogressive
-
is correctingprogressive
-
have been correctingperfect progressive
-
has been correctingperfect progressive
Past
-
correctedsimple
-
had correctedperfect
-
was correctingprogressive
-
were correctingprogressive
-
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:
The company “failed to correct the issue despite extensive corporate knowledge of the problem,” the FTC said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
"Physical tasks require high-quality signals involving limb movements, fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders and dynamic force application. For example: applying the correct grip force so a plastic bottle doesn't crumble versus a steel glass," he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
However, given very tight risk limits for hedge funds, when semis began to correct, forced de-risking exaggerated the drawdown.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Remarkably, in many cases, the proteins can arrange themselves into the correct structure without any external machinery directing their assembly.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
“Is that correct? That you will be returning?”
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
Not only the accompanying wall text but the entire exhibit corrects this omission splendidly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 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
“Now I have them all written down on a website. Or if my mom corrects me for something that I’m saying in Spanish, I now listen.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026
Another passenger, soaked, was having car trouble and had to ditch his van—no, wait, his Mercedes, Rufus corrects, because a train ride is a humbling experience for this rich guy.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
Musk has often promoted Community Notes, calling it "awesome" and asserting that all users, including himself, were subject to being corrected by the crowd-sourced model.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Then it was corrected to be effects artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Blood samples collected throughout the study allowed researchers to track participants' vitamin C concentrations and determine whether supplementation corrected deficiencies.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
It was updated shortly afterwards to say it applied to England and Wales but this has now been corrected to state it only applies to England.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
“She’s got quite an arm—period,” Aunt Kitty corrected with a smile.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
She thanked me for correcting her and said, “Sí, sí, nerviosa.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Researchers have been investigating whether correcting this deficiency could improve their health and treatment outcomes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
"Having this conviction quashed is not simply about correcting the record, it's about finally having validation that this is an injustice that never should have happened," the 45-year-old said.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
In particular Mr. de Moura, who was focused on improving Lean’s core capabilities, spent long hours each day correcting Mathlib entries made by other contributors, who seemed to him demanding and disrespectful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
"Nah. See, I try to be nice to the new girl"—she looked around at Brit and Deja, all fired up—"but she always correcting me. And being all goody-goody, like she think she better than us."
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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