correspondent

American  

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

noun

• correspondents
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• noncorrespondent
  adjective
• precorrespondent
  adjective
• correspondently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• correspondents
  plural

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

See Examples For:

correspondent correspondents

The BBC's Australia correspondent Katy Watson recaps the case and explains some of the reasons why Patterson has chosen to appeal.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Residents in the town of Maumere on Flores Island were evacuating to higher ground, an AFP correspondent saw.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Special correspondent Mogollón reported from La Guaira and staff writer McDonnell from Mexico City.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Guest: Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent, host of the KFF Health News weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?”

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026

A New York Times correspondent in a London press conference quoted the author and dramatist James Baldwin, who thought the death of Malcolm X was “a major setback for the Negro movement.”

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Tanya Simon, the executive producer who oversaw the program’s recent success, was removed alongside correspondents Alfonsi and Vega, as well as senior editors and producers.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

Scott Pelley, one of the show’s longest-serving correspondents, departed after pushing back against the firings, criticizing Weiss and questioning Bilton’s qualifications during a staff meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

She has overseen a series of controversial moves, including shaking up the evening news and sacking several “60 Minutes” correspondents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

He later launched his podcast Legends of News, speaking to other seasoned journalists and correspondents about major stories they had covered.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Every evening the war correspondents report on the difficulties, the courage and the fighting spirit of the army.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Related Words

• contributor
• journalist
• reporter
• writer