correct

[kuh-rekt]

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.

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.

Origin of correct

1300–50; (v.) Middle English correcten (< Anglo-French correcter) < Latin corrēctus past participle of corrigere to make straight, equivalent to cor- cor- + reg- (stem of regere to direct) + -tus past participle suffix; (adj.) (< French correct) < Latin, as above

Related formscor·rect·a·ble, cor·rect·i·ble, adjectivecor·rect·a·bil·i·ty, cor·rect·i·bil·i·ty, nouncor·rect·ing·ly, adverbcor·rect·ly, adverbcor·rect·ness, nouncor·rec·tor, nounre·cor·rect, verb (used with object)un·cor·rect·ed, adjectiveun·der·cor·rect, verb (used with object)well-cor·rect·ed, adjective

Synonyms for correct

1. rectify, amend, emend, reform, remedy. 3. warn, chasten, castigate. 8. faultless, perfect, exact.

Synonym study

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for corrector

Historical Examples of corrector

He is a great teacher, a corrector of morals, a censor of vice, and a commender of virtue.
Aesop's Fables
Aesop
But above all he is the protector and the corrector of children.
St. Nicholas
George H. McKnight
When they may not be changed by the corrector, the hyphen is often useful in revealing their meaning.
Why We Punctuate
William Livingston Klein
In a medical point of view it has been regarded as a cerebral stimulant and anti-soporific, and as a corrector of opium.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley
It is just possible, though hardly likely, that the corrector was Armstrong.
Ephemera Critica
John Churton Collins

British Dictionary definitions for corrector

correct

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 Formscorrectable 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

Word Origin and History for corrector

correct

mid-14c., "to set right, rectify" (a fault or error), from Latin correctus, past participle of corrigere "to put straight, reduce to order, set right;" in transferred use, "to reform, amend," especially of speech or writing, from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + regere "to lead straight, rule" (see regal). Originally of persons; with reference to writing, etc., attested from late 14c. Related: Corrected; correcting.