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.
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
have correctedperfect
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has correctedperfect
-
am correctingprogressive
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are correctingprogressive
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is correctingprogressive
-
have been correctingperfect progressive
-
has been correctingperfect progressive
Past
-
correctedsimple
-
had correctedperfect
-
was correctingprogressive
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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:
Schmitt: So your testimony today is that you did not go to an Atlanta Hawks game on Feb. 3, 2024, is that correct?
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
Even if analysts are correct, it would be the third consecutive quarter of 10%+ revenue growth and 25%+ earnings growth.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
He is correct about that, at least to a point.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Asked if the report was correct, City did not comment either way.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
The words to the Swanburne school song occasionally got mixed up with those of the Postal Tygers marching song, but as long as the children sang with conviction Penelope did not bother to correct them.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
“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
“Laid off by the digital revolution, not retired,” Monica corrects her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
It also analyzes whether an outlet acknowledges and corrects errors, reveals conflicts of interest, and distinguishes news reporting from opinion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
The regulator samples the air, figures out what's wrong with it, and corrects the problem.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
While the tax code allows some individual retirement account mistakes to be corrected, other missteps cannot be fixed and bring penalties and tax hits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
They said their blood sugar readings were refractory, meaning they kept coming back despite being given glucose, whereas naturally-occurring hypoglycemia can be easily corrected with a treatment such as a sugary drink.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
“If you think about it,” he corrected me, “Bitcoin is half-priced compared to last year.”
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
“He had the fight against Tatsuro Taira; I think he evolved and corrected some mistakes he made in that fight. So I think it’s going to be completely different.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
I thought she was joking until she repeatedly corrected me.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The lawsuit claims that the Education Department has yet to respond to a credit-bureau dispute over the discharged debt at issue in the case by correcting the error.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Detecting those jumps has been difficult, so the ability to monitor them in sound could provide an important new tool for identifying and correcting quantum errors.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Catalan firefighters said on X on Thursday that they had recovered the "lifeless body of a man" in Olivella, correcting earlier reports that had identified the missing person as a woman.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
It offers disciplined methods for testing hypotheses, challenging assumptions and correcting errors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Mrs. Miller was sitting at her desk correcting papers when I knocked on her door.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
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.
