correct

[kuh-rekt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR correct ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to set or make true, accurate, or right; remove the errors or faults from: 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?

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)

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.

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.

Origin of correct

1300–50; (v.) Middle English correcten (< Anglo-French correcter) < Latin corrēctus past participle of corrigere to make straight, equivalent to cor- cor- + reg- (stem of regere to direct) + -tus past participle suffix; (adj.) (< French correct) < Latin, as above

Related formscor·rect·a·ble, cor·rect·i·ble, adjectivecor·rect·a·bil·i·ty, cor·rect·i·bil·i·ty, nouncor·rect·ing·ly, adverbcor·rect·ly, adverbcor·rect·ness, nouncor·rec·tor, nounre·cor·rect, verb (used with object)un·cor·rect·ed, adjectiveun·der·cor·rect, verb (used with object)well-cor·rect·ed, adjective

Synonyms for correct

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR correct ON THESAURUS.COM

1. rectify, amend, emend, reform, remedy. 3. warn, chasten, castigate. 8. faultless, perfect, exact.

Synonym study

3. See punish. 8. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for correct

precise, perfect, strict, appropriate, legitimate, proper, equitable, factual, true, acceptable, careful, repair, upgrade, rectify, amend, review, remedy, redress, mend, regulate

Examples from the Web for correct

Contemporary Examples of correct

Because of the thinness of the air, there is a very tight margin between the correct and incorrect airspeeds, as little as 50 mph.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?
Clive Irving
December 29, 2014
Conservatives get nowhere by demanding “deregulation,” because liberals are correct that most Americans want clean water.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans
Philip K. Howard
December 27, 2014
The Senate report provides ample evidence of many problems to correct.
Why Did We Panic After 9/11 and Ignore All We Knew About Responding to Security Threats?
Deborah Pearlstein
December 18, 2014
Breitbart forced her to correct a small part of her story, but witch hunts like these will leave every victim cowering.
The Right's Rape Trolls vs. Lena Dunham
Emily Shire
December 10, 2014
In fact, she knew the correct answer 92 percent of the time she buzzed in during her 20-game streak.
Jeopardy! Champion Julia Collins’s Brain Feels Like Mush
Sujay Kumar
November 20, 2014

Historical Examples of correct

She discovered that Emma's conjecture had been only too correct.
Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus
Jessie Graham Flower
The information on Web pages, etc. is correct as of 21 May 1997.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion
William Dobein James
His character was so open, that I did not need to correct my original conception of it.
Biographical Sketches
Nathaniel Hawthorne
How could it care for a fellow's happiness, or even for his leading a correct life!
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
Is it correct to speak of the waters of the Black Sea as the colored element?
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 7, May 14, 1870
Various

British Dictionary definitions for correct

correct

verb (tr)

to make free from errors

to indicate the errors in

to rebuke or punish in order to set right or improveto 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; accuratethe correct version

in conformity with accepted standardscorrect behaviour

Derived Formscorrectable or correctible, adjectivecorrectly, adverbcorrectness, nouncorrector, noun

Word Origin for correct

C14: from Latin corrigere to make straight, put in order, from com- (intensive) + regere to rule

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for correct

mid-14c., "to set right, rectify" (a fault or error), from Latin correctus, past participle of corrigere "to put straight, reduce to order, set right;" in transferred use, "to reform, amend," especially of speech or writing, from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + regere "to lead straight, rule" (see regal). Originally of persons; with reference to writing, etc., attested from late 14c. Related: Corrected; correcting.

adj.

1670s, from French correct "right, proper," from Latin correctus (see correct (v.)). Related: Correctly; correctness.

correct in Medicine