correspond
Americanverb (used without object)
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corresponds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
corresponded,
past participle, past
-
corresponding
present participle
-
to be in agreement or conformity (often followed by with orto ).
His actions do not correspond with his words.
-
to be similar or analogous; be equivalent in function, position, amount, etc. (usually followed byto ).
The U.S. Congress corresponds to the British Parliament.
-
to communicate by exchange of letters.
verb
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to conform, be in agreement, or be consistent or compatible (with); tally (with)
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(usually foll by to) to be similar or analogous in character or function
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(usually foll by with) to communicate by letter
Synonym Usage
Correspond, agree, accord imply comparing persons or things and finding that they harmonize. Correspond suggests having an obvious similarity, though not agreeing in every detail: Part of this report corresponds with the facts. Agree implies having or arriving at a condition in which no essential difference of opinion or detail is evident: All the reports agree. Accord emphasizes agreeing exactly, both in fact and in point of view: This report accords with the other.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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correspondsimple
-
correspondssimple
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have correspondedperfect
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has correspondedperfect
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am correspondingprogressive
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are correspondingprogressive
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is correspondingprogressive
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have been correspondingperfect progressive
-
has been correspondingperfect progressive
Past
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correspondedsimple
-
had correspondedperfect
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was correspondingprogressive
-
were correspondingprogressive
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had been correspondingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of correspond
First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French, from Medieval Latin corrēspondēre; equivalent to cor- + respond
Explanation
When two things correspond, they match up or are equivalent to one another. You might come up with a code in which numbers correspond to letters of the alphabet. Correspond can also mean to send messages back and forth. You can use your code to correspond with your pen pal. The word correspond can mean "communicating back and forth," like using email to correspond with a far-away cousin. It can also mean "be alike," as in having friends whose interests and personalities correspond to your own. Finally, it can be "be equal to," as in getting a score on a standardized test that corresponds with those of students taking the same subjects as you but who live in other states or countries.
Vocabulary lists containing correspond
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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ACT Vocabulary List
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"Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Based on that relationship, greater activity in Purkinje cells would be expected to correspond with lower activity in deep nuclei cells, while reduced Purkinje activity would be expected to have the opposite effect.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 2026
So all these different layers to the word bait correspond to a different layer of show, correspond to each different episode.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Even the conservative core CPI inflation reading would correspond to at least a 25-basis-point increase to the Fed’s current target range.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
Chile's health ministry said the two passengers who died were not infected in that country as they travelled there at "a period that does not correspond to the incubation time".
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
It should be emphasized that this division into four classes is man-made; it is convenient for the construction of partial theories, but it may not correspond to anything deeper.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
To put that in context, that difference corresponds to an increase of just $4.37 in the current average monthly Social Security check.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Unsurprisingly, she also found that language death often corresponds to ecological and cultural devastation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
In fact, adding more qubits usually corresponds with a higher incidence of errors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
The leading side of the orbit corresponds to the morning terminator, while the trailing side corresponds to the evening terminator.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
That is, there is no item in an outline, no branch of a tree, no unit of discourse that consistently corresponds to a block of text delimited by a blank line or an indentation.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Randolph said the coaches gave Wallace five plays to learn and the hand signals that corresponded to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
They have corresponded with previous market tops in 2000, 2007 and 2021, according to Leuthold.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
The former deputy minister of economic development corresponded with Epstein for several years, the files show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
It also corresponded with reports that day that Kuwait had mistakenly shot down three US warplanes.
From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026
After the ceremony ended, we were directed to wait in a line that corresponded with our last name to turn over our green card and to receive a certificate of naturalization.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Some cranes, pelicans, and vultures weighing between 8kg and 21.5kg have hatchlings ranging from 110g to around 357g, corresponding to neonate-adult body mass ratios of about 1.3% to 4.5%.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
A corresponding news release from Boeing said, “The transaction allows Boeing to retain strategic upside through its stake in Archer and simultaneously focus current and future investments into Boeing’s core businesses.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Roads therefore impose a corresponding duty on the state to provide safe footpaths.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
SpaceX shares have fallen almost 10% in pre-market trading Wednesday as Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen warned spending rose sharply to $18 billion last quarter, compared to the corresponding period last year.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
On opposite pages, she attached blue paper frames with beeswax and slipped in the corresponding watercolor sketches.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
