correction

[ kuh-rek-shuhn ]

/ kəˈrɛk ʃən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: correction / corrections on Thesaurus.com

noun

something that is substituted or proposed for what is wrong or inaccurate; emendation.

punishment intended to reform, improve, or rehabilitate; chastisement; reproof.

Usually corrections. the various methods, as incarceration, parole, and probation, by which society deals with convicted offenders.

a quantity applied or other adjustment made in order to increase accuracy, as in the use of an instrument or the solution of a problem: A five degree correction will put the ship on course.

a reversal of the trend of stock prices, especially temporarily, as after a sharp advance or decline in the previous trading sessions.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of correction

1300–50; Middle English correccio(u)n (<Anglo-French ) <Latin corrēctiōn- (stem of corrēctiō) a setting straight. See correct, -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM correction

non·cor·rec·tion, nounpre·cor·rec·tion, noun

Words nearby correction

corral, corrasion, correa, correct, correcting plate, correction, correctional, correctional facility, correctional officer, correction fluid, correctitude

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

MORE ABOUT CORRECTION

What is a correction?

A correction is something substituted for something that is wrong or inaccurate, such as when a newspaper issues a correction to a story it got wrong.

A correction is also an adjustment or addition to something to make it more accurate, as when you make a steering correction while driving to ensure you are in the center of your lane.

A correction is also a punishment that is meant to help you reform or improve. This is the type of correction connected with prisons, also called correctional facilities.

Example: We are applying a correction to the story after it came out that one of the sources was lying.

Where does correction come from?

The first records of the term correction come from around 1300. It ultimately comes from the Latin corrēctiō, meaning “a setting straight.” Corrections are made after something wrong is said or done.

While correction is usually associated with correcting misinformation, it can also be applied to several fields for specific meanings. In criminal justice, corrections are the punishments given to convicted criminals that are meant to help them become better people. In science, engineering, and transportation, a correction describes an adjustment to a part or course that will lead the test or journey to different outcomes. And in finance, a correction is when a stock’s price suddenly changes its current trend, either higher or lower.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to correction?

noncorrection (noun)
precorrection (noun)
correctional (adjective)

What are some synonyms for correction?

What are some words that share a root or word element with correction?

correct

What are some words that often get used in discussing correction?

How is correction used in real life?

Correction sometimes carries a feeling of shame if what is being corrected is serious.

I’m working on removing the word I …correction we’re working on removing the word I

— ye (@kanyewest) August 10, 2018

If your ego can’t handle a correction from Virgo, then the correction is needed within yourself.

— VIRGO SUPPORT GROUP (@virgosupport) October 11, 2021

CORRECTION: We’ve taken down video that aired on “World News Tonight" Sunday and “Good Morning America” this morning that appeared to be from the Syrian border immediately after questions were raised about its accuracy. ABC News regrets the error.

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) October 14, 2019

Try using correction!

Is correction used correctly in this sentence?

With all the corrections on my paper, it’s no wonder I got 100%.

How to use correction in a sentence

Although imposing dubious regulatory corrections onto run-amok commercial systems are of limited utility, new public interest obligations for our digital age could be part of the solution.
The Fairness Doctrine won’t solve our problems — but it can foster needed debate|Victor Pickard|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
What happened in Germany was that there was a major correction in course, which obviously had to happen based on what happened in the ’30s and ’40s.
Boris Kodjoe: Teach Racial History|Eugene Robinson|February 2, 2021|Ozy
The state’s GOP responded not by considering course corrections, but by doubling down in ways that seem likely to make it harder to curtail Democratic gains there in the future.
Arizona Republicans’ response to losses in November: Dig in on Trumpism.|Eugene Scott|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
People of color and immigrants are overrepresented not just in grocery jobs but also in meatpacking, public transit and corrections facilities, where outbreaks have taken a heavy toll.
Essential workers get lost in the vaccine scrum as states prioritize the elderly|Lena H. Sun, Isaac Stanley-Becker, Akilah Johnson|February 1, 2021|Washington Post

A system alerts satellite operators to potential collision paths and allows for course corrections where possible.
Thousands More Satellites Will Soon Orbit Earth—We Need Better Rules to Prevent Space Crashes|Lauren Napier|January 29, 2021|Singularity Hub
What 15 months in a federal correction institution will be like, according to a man who counsels to-be inmates.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’|Michael Howard|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Correction: Officer Jose Rodriguez was misidentified in several places in an earlier version of this story.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos|Michael Daly|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Correction: An earlier version of this article said John Lewis attended the event, not Elijah Cummings.
Capitol Hill's Black Staffers Walk Out to Say ‘Hands Up, Don't Shoot!’|Tim Mak|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated that ISIS has been known to use the application FireChat.
ISIS Keeps Getting Better at Dodging U.S. Spies|Shane Harris, Noah Shachtman|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Correction: The original article stated that Starboard Strategic Inc. had undertaken the Internet media buy for the NRA.
A Tom Cotton Ad on Grindr?|Ben Jacobs|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This mania for correction shows itself too in relation to the authorities themselves.
Children's Ways|James Sully
He worketh under correction, and seeketh to rest: let his hands be idle, and he seeketh liberty.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
These evidences of an impulse to look on correction as a quite proper thing are corroborated by stories of self-punishment.
Children's Ways|James Sully
I am of opinion too, that the Indecency of the next Verse, you spill upon me, would admit of an equal Correction.
A Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope|Colley Cibber
An imperfect vow, on account of its imperfection, would require correction.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham

British Dictionary definitions for correction

correction

/ (kəˈrɛkʃən) /

noun

the act or process of correcting

something offered or substituted for an error; an improvement

the act or process of punishing; reproof

a number or quantity added to or subtracted from a scientific or mathematical calculation or observation to increase its accuracy

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

correction

Origin of correction

OTHER WORDS FROM correction

Words nearby correction

MORE ABOUT CORRECTION

What is a correction?

Where does correction come from?

Did you know … ?

How is correction used in real life?

Try using correction!

Words related to correction

How to use correction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for correction