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 or to).
His actions do not correspond with his words.
-
to be similar or analogous; be equivalent in function, position, amount, etc. (usually followed by to).
The U.S. Congress corresponds to the British Parliament.
-
to communicate by exchange of letters.
verb
-
to conform, be in agreement, or be consistent or compatible (with); tally (with)
-
(usually foll by to) to be similar or analogous in character or function
-
(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
-
have correspondedperfect
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has correspondedperfect
-
am correspondingprogressive
-
are correspondingprogressive
-
is correspondingprogressive
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have been correspondingperfect progressive
-
has been correspondingperfect progressive
Past
-
correspondedsimple
-
had correspondedperfect
-
was correspondingprogressive
-
were correspondingprogressive
-
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:
He also apologized for befriending Oxford, and he signed off with a request to correspond and perhaps visit someday.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
What’s more, the value added by his investment may not exactly correspond to the amount he spends on it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
“I remember we would correspond over Twitter DMs, and she just seemed very excited to be helpful in any way,” Matthews said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
The court adjourned until August 27 to check whether the tests "correspond to Diego Armando Maradona or someone else," presiding judge Alberto Gaig said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Calibrated dates are the ones believed to correspond more closely to actual calendar dates.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
This corresponds to approximately 0.29 people per square kilometer across Australia.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
A reading of 100 corresponds to the options market pricing roughly six basis points of daily movement in Treasury yields over the following month.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Relative to the sample mean of $17.5 million, this corresponds to an incremental increase of approximately $83 million to $104 million in funds raised.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
It’s a shift that corresponds with that of a restive voting public.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The two vertical sides of the H correspond to the particles in the sun and the earth, and the horizontal crossbar corresponds to the graviton that travels between them.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
I corresponded with con artists and attended a strange “medical” appointment that promised me invisible surgery and extraterrestrial matchmaking.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 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
Although fructose and glucose produced similar short-term effects on food intake, the mice eventually developed preferences that corresponded to the degree of AgRP neuron inhibition triggered by each sugar.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
Jamieson was caught after messages written by PatrolStaff corresponded with his movements.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
Herbert had met a woman from Mobile with whom he had corresponded over the years.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
But at Anthropic, the corresponding losses don’t, or at least not in the company’s adjusted profit figures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
“This would also increase Medibank’s share of Medicare GP consultations to circa 3.6% with a corresponding increase in their sphere of influence,” Jefferies says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
He posted pictures showing the ID card of a GSF member and a corresponding national ID card from Chad in Africa.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
"When we examined Yuezhuornis, we were struck by its extraordinary mix of features," said Dr. Min Wang, corresponding author of the study.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
“My friend Paul was corresponding with your dad on my behalf about the housekeeping position? And our…special circumstances?”
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
