correspond
Americanverb (used without object)
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to be in agreement or conformity (often followed by with orto ).
His actions do not correspond with his words.
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to be similar or analogous; be equivalent in function, position, amount, etc. (usually followed byto ).
The U.S. Congress corresponds to the British Parliament.
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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
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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
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has been correspondingperfect progressive
Past
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correspondedsimple
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had correspondedperfect
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was correspondingprogressive
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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
In those eyes, the corneas successfully achieved the intended focusing power that would correspond to improved vision.
From Science Daily ● May 28, 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
However, the North and South Poles correspond to the beginning and end of the universe in imaginary time.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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
In fact, adding more qubits usually corresponds with a higher incidence of errors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
By comparing this pattern with detailed galaxy simulations, the researchers determined that the point where stellar ages are youngest corresponds to a sharp decline in star formation efficiency.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026
The size of the circles corresponds to the area of each site detected.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 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
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
Instead, they corresponded to genuine magma intrusions that did not ultimately produce eruptions.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2026
A list of names followed and, at the bottom of the page, printed in tiny letters upside down, the famous personalities they corresponded to.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Department-store credit accounts and the disappearance of legal restrictions on interest rates paved the way for the late-20th-century explosion of the credit-card business and corresponding debt and insolvency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
There are nuances to VIX futures and options, and their corresponding ETFs and ETNs, that many traders do not fully understand.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Quantities corresponding to effective temperature and pressure also arise naturally from the theory.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
On Friday, Public Health France said there had been "an increase of 29.1 percent, corresponding to 2,025 additional deaths compared with the previous week" while noting that the figure was probably "an underestimate".
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
What would she be corresponding with Taius about?
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
