correction

American  

[kuh-rek-shuhn] / kəˈrɛk ʃən /

noun

• corrections
  plural

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

2. the act of correcting.

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

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

5. 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.

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

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correction British  

/ kəˈrɛkʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of correcting

2. something offered or substituted for an error; an improvement

3. the act or process of punishing; reproof

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

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncorrection
  noun
• precorrection
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• corrections
  plural

Etymology

Origin of correction

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

Explanation

When you fix a mistake, you make a correction, a change that rights a wrong. When you correct a misspelled word, you’ve made a correction. Well done! Correction also applies to punishment, which is another way to right a wrong. A correction is an improvement or a revision when there's something that needs to be fixed. Newspapers issue corrections for previously printed errors, and a poorly written law might get the correction it needs after voters choose to amend it. Sometimes correction is also used to mean "punishment or discipline," and a correction or correctional facility is another word for jail. Correction can also mean "a drop in the value of a stock that was artificially high."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

correction corrections

That’s why people sell their stocks in a panic during a market correction and/or go heavy in gold, dive headfirst into bonds and cash vehicles instead, only to regret it later.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Error correction is a process that involves ensuring the components of a quantum system, known as qubits, behave correctly and deliver accurate results.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Yet the Russell 2000 has now slid 9% below its record close set less than two months ago, ending at 2,793.20 on Wednesday and putting the small-cap index on the doorstep of correction territory.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

In late September, the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee warned that "the risk of a sharper correction persists," particularly if concerns about the pace of AI development or adoption hit earnings expectations.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

He had made some sort of correction on almost every line.

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead

Trade body Airlines UK said it was surprised to see the announcement, adding that UK airlines already allow minor name corrections free of charge.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Now, after a decade of experiments, corrections, and painstaking analysis, the answer was sitting inside a sealed envelope.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

The reason it’s relevant to markets is that Treasury yields at this level tend to cause corrections in stocks, Bishop said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

Bruce Davis, who was Charles Manson’s so-called “right-hand man,” died in a California prison hospital late last week at the age of 83, corrections officials said Monday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

It had fewer corrections than my previous papers, but the grade was only a disappointing C. I stuck it in my binder, and for the rest of the class I had a hard time concentrating.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez