accord

verb

ac·cord | \ ə-ˈkȯrd

accorded; according; accords

Definition of accord

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to grant or give especially as appropriate, due, or earned The competitors should all be accorded equal respect.

2 : to bring into agreement : reconcile

intransitive verb

1 : to be consistent or in harmony : agree —usually used with with a theory that accords with the known facts

2 archaic : to arrive at an agreement

3 obsolete : to give consent

accord

noun

Definition of accord (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : agreement, conformity acted in accord with the company's policy

b : a formal reaching of agreement : compact, treaty a peace accord

2 : voluntary or spontaneous impulse to act gave generously of their own accord

3 : balanced interrelationship : harmony

4 obsolete : assent

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about accord

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Choose the Right Synonym for accord

Verb

grant, concede, vouchsafe, accord, award mean to give as a favor or a right. grant implies giving to a claimant or petitioner something that could be withheld. granted them a new hearing concede implies yielding something reluctantly in response to a rightful or compelling claim. even her critics concede she can be charming vouchsafe implies granting something as a courtesy or an act of gracious condescension. vouchsafed the secret to only a few chosen disciples accord implies giving to another what is due or proper. accorded all the honors befitting a head of state award implies giving what is deserved or merited usually after a careful weighing of pertinent factors. awarded the company a huge defense contract

Did You Know?

A new federal law may accord with—or be in accordance with—the guidelines that a company has already established. The rowdy behavior of the hero Beowulf accords with Norse ideals of the early Middle Ages; but such behavior wouldn't have been in accordance with the ideals of a later young lord from the same general region, Shakespeare's Prince Hamlet. Accord is also a noun, meaning "agreement". Thus, we often hear of two countries signing a peace accord; and we also frequently hear of two things or people being "in accord with" each other.

Examples of accord in a Sentence

Verb

He was accorded certain favors because of his age. claims that the newspaper's quote does not accord with what he actually said

Noun

The two sides were able to reach an accord. hoped to bring about a peace accord between the warring nations

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Iran has sought to preserve a 2015 international nuclear accord, which allows low-level enrichment in return for Iran accepting constraints on its nuclear program. — Siobhan Hughes, WSJ, "U.S. Planned Strike on Iran After Downing of Drone but Called Off Mission," 21 June 2019 Shinzo Abe will arrive on Wednesday in Iran after earlier meeting with President Trump, whose maximalist approach toward the Islamic Republic has seen America reimpose sanctions once lifted by the 2015 accord and create far-reaching newer ones. — Jon Gambrell, BostonGlobe.com, "Iran gears up for high-stakes diplomacy amid tension with US," 9 June 2019 Update: Reuters reports that Apple and Amazon were also mentioned in the accord between the agencies, with the Justice Department taking the lead on investigations of Apple, while the FTC will oversee Amazon. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Facebook, Google stocks fall on imminent antitrust probes," 3 June 2019 The current tensions are rooted in Trump’s decision last year to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers and impose wide-reaching sanctions, including on Iranian oil exports that are crucial to its economy. — Fay Abuelgasim, The Seattle Times, "Saudis say they will defend themselves, as Trump warns Iran," 20 May 2019 Under the 2015 accord, countries set out to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels by 2100 at most, with a preferred target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "World leaders are working out a climate deal in Poland — despite Trump," 14 Dec. 2018 World leaders, climate scientists, tech leaders, major energy and oil companies, and even some of Trump's advisers have called for Trump to keep the U.S. in the accord. — Susmita Baral, Teen Vogue, "Trump and the Paris Climate Change Agreement, Explained," 2 Aug. 2018 That means Russia is currently violating its quota to keep production below 11 million barrels as part of its accord with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. — Jordan Blum, Houston Chronicle, "Permian will outpace all OPEC nations except Saudis," 13 June 2018 Sensing something was up, the pair and three others left of their own accord. — Paula Hancocks, Jungeun Kim And Yoonjung Seo, CNN, "Restaurant manager reveals he tricked North Korean waitresses into defecting," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accord.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for accord

Verb

Middle English accorden, acorden "to reconcile, come to an agreement, be in agreement," borrowed from Anglo-French acorder, going back to Vulgar Latin *accordāre, from Latin ad- ad- + -cordāre, as in concordāre "to be in agreement," discordāre "to be in conflict" — more at concordance

Noun

Middle English accord, acord, borrowed from Anglo-French acord, acorde, noun derivative of acorder "to come to an agreement, accord entry 1"

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More Definitions for accord

accord

verb

English Language Learners Definition of accord

(Entry 1 of 2)

formal : to give (something, such as special treatment or status) to someone or something

accord

noun

English Language Learners Definition of accord (Entry 2 of 2)

: a formal or official agreement

: a situation or state in which people or things agree

See the full definition for accord in the English Language Learners Dictionary

accord

verb

ac·cord | \ ə-ˈkȯrd

accorded; according

Kids Definition of accord

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : give entry 1 sense 3 The teacher accorded them special privileges.

2 : to be in harmony : agree Your story of the accident accords with theirs.

accord

noun

Kids Definition of accord (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : agreement sense 1, harmony He acted in accord with the rules.

2 : willingness to act or to do something They left of their own accord.

3 agreement sense 3, treaty

accord

transitive verb

ac·cord | \ ə-ˈkȯrd

Legal Definition of accord

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to bring into agreement

2 : to grant or give especially as appropriate, due, or earned

intransitive verb

: to be consistent or in harmony

Note: Accord in this sense is often used to introduce a case or an authority that accords with the case or authority just cited, as for example in a sentence like “… a decision based on equitable principles. Accord Smith v. Jones, 1 F.2d 2 (1900).”

accord

noun

Legal Definition of accord (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : agreement of opinion both cases in accord

2 : a formal act of agreement : treaty an economic accord

3 : an accepted offer by which the parties agree that a specified future performance will discharge in full an obligation when performed even though the performance is of less value than the original obligation also : the defense that an accord was agreed upon —usually used in the phrase accord and satisfaction

— called also executory accord