correction

American  

[kuh-rek-shuhn] / kəˈrɛk ʃən /

noun

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

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

Alex Stanley, from the NUS, said there also needed to be a longer term "course correction" to avoid a generation not being able to buy a home or start a family.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

The city’s price correction, along with a broader run-up in inventory in Texas, has detracted from Austin’s near-term appeal to builders, many of whom offer buyers incentives at the expense of their margins.

From Barron's • May 31, 2026

Ten were treated to simulate correction for myopia, also known as nearsightedness.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2026

People assume the system will fix itself, but first someone has to notice the problem and create a mechanism for correction.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

As I ate, I read CPO Family, the magazine of the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation, a group that offered money and support to the families of slain correction officers.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover