correspondent

American  

[kawr-uh-spon-duhnt, kor-] / ˌkɔr əˈspɒn dənt, ˌkɒr- /

noun

1. a person who communicates by letters.

2. a person employed by a news agency, periodical, television network, etc., to gather, report, or contribute news, articles, and the like regularly from a distant place.

3. a person who contributes a letter or letters to a newspaper, magazine, etc.

4. a person or firm that has regular business relations with another, especially at a distance.

5. a thing that corresponds to something else.

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adjective

1. consistent, similar, or analogous; corresponding.

correspondent British  

/ ˌkɒrɪˈspɒndənt /

noun

1. a person who communicates by letter or by letters

2. a person employed by a newspaper, etc, to report on a special subject or to send reports from a foreign country

3. a person or firm that has regular business relations with another, esp one in a different part of the country or abroad

4. something that corresponds to another

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adjective

1. similar or analogous

Other Word Forms

• correspondently
  adverb
• noncorrespondent
  adjective
• precorrespondent
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of correspondent

1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin corrēspondent- (stem of corrēspondēns ), present participle of corrēspondēre to correspond; see -ent

Explanation

A correspondent is a reporter who writes or records stories on one topic or from one region. If you're hired as a radio station's financial correspondent, you'll need to do a lot of research on the economy. A journalist might work as a TV station's Middle East correspondent or a newspaper's education correspondent. You can also call yourself a correspondent if you're a regular letter or email writer, corresponding, or communicating, with someone. As an adjective, though, correspondent means "matching or agreeing." The word is rooted in the Medieval Latin correspondere, "to answer together."

Example Sentences

Before the race in Montreal, BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your latest questions.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Chief economics correspondent Nick Timiraos, who talked to Zlati Meyer about what we can expect from a new leader at the central bank.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

An AFP correspondent reported thick smoke from Burj al-Shemali in the Tyre region.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Such is the case with Elliott, a former correspondent for Cahiers du Cinéma, who got a call in 2010.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

I had never written a diary before and didn’t know how to begin, so the BBC correspondent said he would help me.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai

Related Words

• contributor
• journalist
• reporter
• writer