correspond
Americanverb (used without object)
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corresponds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
corresponded,
past participle, past
-
corresponding
present participle
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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
-
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:
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
Fewer than 10% of mouse experiments use aged animals, with researchers typically relying on mice that roughly correspond to humans in their early 20s.
From Science Daily ● May 31, 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
Look for the stock to travel toward $280 over the next 12 to 18 months, which correspond to a 43% gain from current prices.
From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026
Fred,” she added, “I correspond with a hero.”
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
According to the researchers, that change corresponds to an estimated 4% reduction in heart disease risk.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
Analysts at Sentimentrader note that gold has entered its best seasonal window of the year — from the 134th trading day to the 207th, which corresponds to July 9 to October 21.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
There is no standard definition of what income range corresponds with each class.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
In fact, adding more qubits usually corresponds with a higher incidence of errors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Phenomena are too subjective: they are appearances, not realities; things and particulars are too much in the real world: none of them corresponds to that peculiar blend of reality and thought which is the fact.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Working alongside a largely forgotten network of women, she arranged training, negotiated visa rules, raised funds and corresponded with colleagues in Berlin and Jerusalem—the practical education in politics that Mr. Meyer restores to view.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
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
It said the total area corresponded to "only 0.18 percent of Turkey's surface area", denouncing efforts to "tarnish the mining sector".
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
I also had no idea how the prices on the menu corresponded to the money in my pocket, so I would hand the waiter a large bill and wait to receive change.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
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
The reinvention I had in mind was more municipal than spiritual: perhaps a change in infrastructure might produce a corresponding improvement in character.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
The guarantees cover four data-center leases Anthropic has signed, along with the corresponding power-purchase agreements, which will draw from a so-called behind-the-meter power plant that will support the campus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
As the girl’s gender identity was firmly established as female at the time her condition was discovered, a decision to implement feminizing surgery along with corresponding hormonal treatments seems correct.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
