correction

American  

[kuh-rek-shuhn] / kəˈrɛk ʃən /

noun

• corrections
  plural

1. something that is substituted or proposed for what is wrong or inaccurate; emendation.

2. the act of correcting.

3. punishment intended to reform, improve, or rehabilitate; chastisement; reproof.

4. Usually corrections. the various methods, as incarceration, parole, and probation, by which society deals with convicted offenders.

5. a quantity applied or other adjustment made in order to increase accuracy, as in the use of an instrument or the solution of a problem.

   A five degree correction will put the ship on course.

6. a reversal of the trend of stock prices, especially temporarily, as after a sharp advance or decline in the previous trading sessions.

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correction British  

/ kəˈrɛkʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of correcting

2. something offered or substituted for an error; an improvement

3. the act or process of punishing; reproof

4. a number or quantity added to or subtracted from a scientific or mathematical calculation or observation to increase its accuracy

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Usage

What is a correction? A correction is something substituted for something that is wrong or inaccurate, such as when a newspaper issues a correction to a story it got wrong. A correction is also an adjustment or addition to something to make it more accurate, as when you make a steering correction while driving to ensure you are in the center of your lane. A correction is also a punishment that is meant to help you reform or improve. This is the type of correction connected with prisons, also called correctional facilities. Example: We are applying a correction to the story after it came out that one of the sources was lying.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncorrection
  noun
• precorrection
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• corrections
  plural

Etymology

Origin of correction

1300–50; Middle English correccio ( u ) n (< Anglo-French ) < Latin corrēctiōn- (stem of corrēctiō ) a setting straight. See correct, -ion

Explanation

When you fix a mistake, you make a correction, a change that rights a wrong. When you correct a misspelled word, you’ve made a correction. Well done! Correction also applies to punishment, which is another way to right a wrong. A correction is an improvement or a revision when there's something that needs to be fixed. Newspapers issue corrections for previously printed errors, and a poorly written law might get the correction it needs after voters choose to amend it. Sometimes correction is also used to mean "punishment or discipline," and a correction or correctional facility is another word for jail. Correction can also mean "a drop in the value of a stock that was artificially high."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

correction corrections

The yen weakened slightly against other G-10 and Asian currencies on a likely technical correction following its sharp gains at end of last week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

He also noted that a retired professor had previously raised concerns about Arday's subsequent academic articles, which led to two journals issuing correction notes.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Its share price has outpaced fundamentals, and a potential correction could come after the share goes ex-dividend next month, Lim says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

But by the closing bell, the Dow cemented its worst trading day since April 2025, while the Nasdaq was on the doorstep of correction territory, off 9.78% from its early-June record closing high.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

"How was your school today?" she says, ignoring my correction.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi

Ditto, the stock market, despite those feared corrections and recessions.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026

Born Halroy Candis Williams on Dec. 14, 1938, in Columbus, Ohio, Williams was working as a juvenile corrections officer when he decided to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

Mike, 40, feels "stagnant" in his current job as a corrections officer and misses the sense of "belonging" he had in the military.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

September’s expiration is often volatile, as the worst corrections historically occur in October—and fear of falling defines September.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

His job was to find the exact orbits and course corrections needed for any given mission.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir