correct

[ kuh-rekt ]

/ kəˈrɛkt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: correct / corrected / correcting / corrects on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to set or make true, accurate, or right; remove the errors or faults from: The native guide corrected our pronunciation. The new glasses corrected his eyesight.

to point out or mark the errors in: The teacher corrected the examination papers.

to scold, rebuke, or punish in order to improve: Should parents correct their children in public?

to counteract the operation or effect of (something hurtful or undesirable): The medication will correct stomach acidity.

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

verb (used without object)

to make a correction or corrections.

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

adjective

conforming to fact or truth; free from error; accurate: a correct answer.

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

(of a judgment or opinion) just or right: I feel this decision is correct because of the defendant’s age.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR correct

1 rectify, amend, emend, reform, remedy.

3 warn, chasten, castigate.

8 faultless, perfect, exact.

See synonyms for correct on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of correct

First recorded in1300–50; (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” ( see direct) + -tus past participle suffix; (adjective) from French correct, from Latin, as above

synonym study for correct

3. See punish. 8. 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM correct

cor·rect·a·ble, cor·rect·i·ble, adjectivecor·rect·a·bil·i·ty, cor·rect·i·bil·i·ty, nouncor·rect·ly, adverbcor·rect·ness, noun

cor·rec·tor, nounre·cor·rect, verb (used with object)un·cor·rect·ed, adjectivewell-cor·rect·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use correct in a sentence

This is how science self-corrects and weeds out results that don’t stand up.
AI is wrestling with a replication crisis|Emily Luong|November 12, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Imagine that, in an effort to correct for the bias it showed in 2020, a pollster adopts a new technique that results in shifting its margins toward Republicans by 3 points — but it turns out that the bias was because of something 2020-specific.
The Polls Weren’t Great. But That’s Pretty Normal.|Nate Silver (nrsilver@fivethirtyeight.com)|November 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Metro is given broad leeway on how to correct identified problems, but must seek the safety commission’s approval on how it decides to remedy them.
Metro’s plans to correct safety deficiencies in its rail operations center sent back for more work|Justin George|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
Science, unlike certain political philosophies and personality cults, corrects its mistakes.
These are science’s Top 10 erroneous results|Tom Siegfried|November 10, 2020|Science News

For Gomez, silence is no longer an option, and that includes uncomfortable conversations to correct years of harmful assumptions.
Asha Gomez made her name as an Indian American chef. But she’s tired of being pigeonholed.|Nikhita Venugopal|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
Again, whoever the corrector was, he had a fine ear for blank verse, and must indeed have been a master of it.
Ephemera Critica|John Churton Collins
When at Basle, Erasmus procured him employment as a corrector of the press with Frobenius.
The Browning Cyclopdia|Edward Berdoe
At the same time read off the volume of air in the "volume corrector," which must be fixed alongside the gas burettes.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
It appears that Coste, the press-corrector, would be a frequent visitor at the house in the Heer-Gracht.
The Anglo-French Entente in the Seventeenth Century|Charles Bastide
Under the later empire, it was the official residence of the "Corrector" of Tuscany and Umbria.
Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for correct

correct

/ (kəˈrɛkt) /

verb (tr)

to make free from errors

to indicate the errors in

to rebuke or punish in order to set right or improveto correct a child; to stand corrected

to counteract or rectify (a malfunction, ailment, etc)these glasses will correct your sight

to adjust or make conform, esp to a standard

adjective

free from error; true; accuratethe correct version

in conformity with accepted standardscorrect behaviour

Derived forms of correct

correctable or correctible, adjectivecorrectly, adverbcorrectness, nouncorrector, noun

Word Origin for correct

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

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with correct

correct

see stand corrected.

correct

OTHER WORDS FOR correct

Origin of correct

synonym study for correct

OTHER WORDS FROM correct

Words related to correct

How to use correct in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for correct

Derived forms of correct

Word Origin for correct

Other Idioms and Phrases with correct