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
-
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
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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:
"We have very hard questions that require honest answers. The officials must release the correct number of people who were onboard," she wrote.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Admittedly,” the authors write, “principles take time to understand, much less put into practice and develop into a culture. They require frequent, regular, and correct practice.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
He’s lived long enough to get used to the feeling of being unfortunately, awfully correct.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
If the idea proves correct, these primordial black holes could offer clues to several major unanswered questions in cosmology.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
The robot’s computer brain went to work and she found the correct word.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
As the market corrects its math, the quality names should outperform.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
The system includes specialized data processing that i.e. corrects for factors such as Earth tides.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2026
The Senate last month passed the Math Act, which corrects the often infuriating way the agency handles clerical errors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
“I think there is going to be a short-term fluctuation in the trend that ultimately corrects itself and resumes the path it was on while Netanyahu is in power,” he said.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2025
“I didn’t say he was a troublemaker,” she corrects me.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Frantic attempts to find survivors continued, as authorities revised the death toll down to 216 after local officials in Cali corrected earlier figures.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Woods earlier reported the record time as 29 days, but corrected it in an email to The Times on Monday, saying she and her husband George “were all so exhausted they hadn’t calculated correctly.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Then he quickly corrected himself: it was made by Apple.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Hunter noted that since early July, the SOX index has corrected 20% and the hyperscaler group “has bounced within its broad 2026 trading range.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
“No, we wash in the puddle,” I corrected her.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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’m his lawyer,” Blanche replied, before correcting himself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
They also identify ACOT1 as a possible new drug target and suggest that correcting disrupted fatty acid metabolism could become a useful strategy for treating RA.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
The Supreme Court sometimes takes its time in correcting its errors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Mr. Lema was sitting at his desk correcting papers.
From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez
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.
