correct

[ kuh-rekt ]

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

   Synonyms: remedy, reform, emend, amend, rectify

2. to point out or mark the errors in:

   The teacher corrected the examination papers.

3. to scold, rebuke, or punish in order to improve:

   Should parents correct their children in public?

   Synonyms: castigate, chasten, warn

4. to counteract the operation or effect of (something hurtful or undesirable):

   The medication will correct stomach acidity.

5. Mathematics, Physics. to alter or adjust so as to bring into accordance with a standard or with a required condition.

verb (used without object)

1. to make a correction or corrections.
2. (of stock prices) to reverse a trend, especially temporarily, as after a sharp advance or decline in previous trading sessions.

adjective

1. conforming to fact or truth; free from error; accurate:

   a correct answer.

   Synonyms: exact, perfect, faultless

2. in accordance with an acknowledged or accepted standard; proper:

   correct behavior.

3. (of a judgment or opinion) just or right:

   I feel this decision is correct because of the defendant’s age.

4. 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.

correct

/ kəˈrɛkt /

verb

1. to make free from errors
2. to indicate the errors in
3. to rebuke or punish in order to set right or improve

   to stand corrected

   to correct a child

4. to counteract or rectify (a malfunction, ailment, etc)

   these glasses will correct your sight

5. to adjust or make conform, esp to a standard

adjective

1. free from error; true; accurate

   the correct version

2. in conformity with accepted standards

   correct behaviour

Derived Forms

• corˈrectly, adverb
• corˈrectable, adjective
• corˈrectness, noun
• corˈrector, noun

Other Words From

• cor·recta·ble cor·recti·ble adjective
• cor·recta·bili·ty cor·recti·bili·ty noun
• cor·rectly adverb
• cor·rectness noun
• cor·rector noun
• recor·rect verb (used with object)
• uncor·rected adjective
• well-cor·rected adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of correct¹

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” ( direct ) + -tus past participle suffix; (adjective) from French correct, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of correct¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see stand corrected .

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Submit a correct answer for either,2 and you may get a shoutout in the next column.

From FiveThirtyEight

The auto-correct on your cell phone or Gmail compose box are a perfect example of machine learning technology.

From Search Engine Watch

Whether the video is exclusively obtained from a source or stumbled upon via social media, it’s imperative to take the right steps to ensure the video is unaltered and presented in the correct context.

From Washington Post

If it knows the name of all other toys, the dog might pick the correct toy because it guesses the unfamiliar word must indicate the unfamiliar toy.

From Popular-Science

They have urged users to update their hardware and software to avoid security issues that the patches can easily correct.

From Popular-Science

Because of the thinness of the air, there is a very tight margin between the correct and incorrect airspeeds, as little as 50 mph.

From The Daily Beast

Conservatives get nowhere by demanding “deregulation,” because liberals are correct that most Americans want clean water.

From The Daily Beast

The Senate report provides ample evidence of many problems to correct.

From The Daily Beast

Breitbart forced her to correct a small part of her story, but witch hunts like these will leave every victim cowering.

From The Daily Beast

In fact, she knew the correct answer 92 percent of the time she buzzed in during her 20-game streak.

From The Daily Beast

For telegrams the spelling does n't matter; the people at the office correct it—or if they don't you can put it off on them.

From Project Gutenberg

I was perfectly amazed to see how many little ugly habits I had to correct of which I had not been the least aware.

From Project Gutenberg

That was by no means what Garnache had implied; still, since it really expressed his mind, he did not trouble to correct Marius.

From Project Gutenberg

With children of finer perception the transition to a correct profile view may be carried much further.

From Project Gutenberg

In 1881 the appearance of the figures was improved by their being painted in correct colours.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accurate
• appropriate
• equitable
• exact
• factual
• legitimate
• perfect
• precise
• proper
• strict
• true