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

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Etymology

Origin of correction

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

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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

"Weaker or less durable AI investments and profitability could be a shock that triggers a market correction," the report said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

It’s too soon to call what happened this week to artificial intelligence stocks a correction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

A No 10 spokeswoman said a correction had been issued to Hansard, the official report of parliamentary debates, and would be "published in due course".

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The falsehood had been viewed millions of times before the correction arrived.

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026

“Don’t say ‘larks!’” implored Amy, as a return snub for the ‘samphire’ correction.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

A system that produces inexpensive answers but requires repeated corrections can be costly to use.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The head of the state's corrections department is resigning from his post in the wake of the botched execution.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

This is smaller than previous corrections, Citi notes, but investors should buy the dip nevertheless.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Worse, all the other characters in the film talk just like him: charmless, frigid and quick to cut each other off with snippy corrections.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

I had thought that being only a visitor to the world of corrections, I would be immune to this syndrome.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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