correct

verb

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cor·rect | \ kə-ˈrekt

corrected; correcting; corrects

Definition of correct

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to make or set right : amend correct an error The editor corrected the author's manuscript.

b : counteract, neutralize correct a harmful tendency

c : to alter or adjust so as to bring to some standard or required condition correct a lens for spherical aberration She's having surgery to correct her vision.

2a : to discipline or punish (someone) for some fault or lapse … I was most rude then. Only a small boy, Sir, and I was corrected for it, I assure you, by my father …— Rex Ingamells

b : to point out usually for amendment the errors or faults of spent the day correcting tests

correct

adjective

Definition of correct (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : conforming to an approved or conventional standard correct behavior

2 : conforming to or agreeing with fact, logic, or known truth a correct response

3 : conforming to a set figure enclosed the correct return postage

4 : conforming to the strict requirements of a specific ideology or set of beliefs or values environmentally correct spiritually correct

Other Words from correct Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about correct

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Choose the Right Synonym for correct

Verb

correct, rectify, emend, remedy, redress, amend, reform, revise mean to make right what is wrong. correct implies taking action to remove errors, faults, deviations, defects. correct your spelling rectify implies a more essential changing to make something right, just, or properly controlled or directed. rectify a misguided policy emend specifically implies correction of a text or manuscript. emend a text remedy implies removing or making harmless a cause of trouble, harm, or evil. set out to remedy the evils of the world redress implies making compensation or reparation for an unfairness, injustice, or imbalance. redress past social injustices amend, reform, revise imply an improving by making corrective changes, amend usually suggesting slight changes amend a law , reform implying drastic change plans to reform the court system , and revise suggesting a careful examination of something and the making of necessary changes. revise the schedule

synonyms see in addition punish

Adjective

correct, accurate, exact, precise, nice, right mean conforming to fact, standard, or truth. correct usually implies freedom from fault or error. correct answers socially correct dress accurate implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care. an accurate description exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth. exact measurements precise adds to exact an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation. precise calibration nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination. makes nice distinctions right is close to correct but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault. the right thing to do

Adjective

correct, exact, and accurate mean agreeing with a fact, truth, or standard. correct is used for something that contains no errors. Can you give me correct directions? exact is used for something that agrees very closely with fact or truth. I need the exact measurements of the room. accurate is used when great care has been taken to make sure that something agrees with the facts. He gave an accurate description of the scene.

Examples of correct in a Sentence

Verb I hate it when she corrects my grammar. Please correct your essay for punctuation errors. Our teacher hasn't finished correcting our tests yet. He corrects papers with a red pen. We are finding ways to correct this difficult situation. We'll correct the problem with the circuit as soon as possible. These medicines are used for correcting chemical imbalances in the brain. Adjective What's the correct answer to this question? Her watch never tells the correct time. an anatomically correct drawing of the human body Did I give you the correct change? With the correct amount of water and sunlight, the plant will grow well.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb In April, Huffman pleaded guilty to participating in the college admissions scandal, paying Rick Singer $15,000 to correct Macy's SAT and boost her score on the test. — Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, "'The Twilight Zone': Felicity Huffman's daughter Sophia Grace Macy to appear in Season 2," 13 Jan. 2020 Rupp had been pointing toward the Chicago Marathon since undergoing surgery on his left heel in 2018 to correct a condition known as Haglund’s Deformity, a bony bump which was causing his Achilles tendon to fray. — oregonlive, "Two-time Olympic medalist Galen Rupp opens up about being coached by Mike Smith of Northern Arizona," 11 Jan. 2020 Farren thought the driver was attempting to correct his parking spot at the time. — Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Germantown driving instructor arrested for driving drunk with a student in the vehicle," 10 Jan. 2020 Each burst of accusations and justifications has elicited a flood of public responses, expert opinions and efforts to correct a record full of hostilities and absurdities. — Susanna Lee, The Conversation, "We’re living in the bizarre world that Flaubert envisioned," 10 Jan. 2020 Top historians asked the New York Times to correct the errors and distortions in its ambitious 1619 Project on slavery, including the preposterous claim that the American Revolution was fought to defend slavery. — Nr Editors, National Review, "The Week," 9 Jan. 2020 Video replays to correct mistakes by umpires should be handled by a fifth umpire watching from the press box level, something Terry Francona and others managers have advocated for years. — Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, "If MLB wants the Red Sox and other teams to stop stealing signs via video, there’s an easy way to do it," 7 Jan. 2020 This article was edited to correct Thuderbolt 3 to USB 3.2 2x2. — Jon L. Jacobi, PCWorld, "Seagate's new external SSDs blend style with performance," 6 Jan. 2020 Rather, the board encouraged the agency to correct these significant errors before finalizing the second part of the rollback in the coming months. — Sean Reilly, Science | AAAS, "EPA science advisers slammed the agency for ignoring science. Here is what they said," 2 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective With each candidate adamant that their version of the conversation is correct, what was actually said can never be known. — Emily Larsen, Washington Examiner, "Sanders and Warren 'he said, she said' feud could wreck left-wing White House hopes," 14 Jan. 2020 Several adult fans on Twitter proved John’s theory was correct, with many stating their plans to build a Baby Yoda as soon as the opportunity presents. — Stephanie Toone, ajc, "Build-A-Bear is bringing Baby Yoda to a store near you," 14 Jan. 2020 To write about Pauli Murray means choosing a pronoun that may not be correct. — Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, "Culture War in the Workplace," 13 Jan. 2020 Castro was correct in that the 2020 cycle wasn’t his time. — Michael Arceneaux, Essence, "On Missing Julián Castro And Why He Was Needed," 8 Jan. 2020 The law’s author, Democratic Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez of San Diego, said the state attorney general was correct in arguing that California has a duty to protect employees. — Don Thompson, USA TODAY, "California's mandatory arbitration law temporarily blocked by federal judge," 31 Dec. 2019 That claim might be correct in our legalistic political culture. — Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, "Trump Meets the Four Tests for Impeachment," 23 Dec. 2019 Wright was correct in his (sky-high) estimation of his ability. — New York Times, "Frank Lloyd Wright: Separating the Life From the Work," 20 Dec. 2019 The justices must now decide if the lower courts were correct in their assessment of the case. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "The US Supreme Court is stuck in an epic international child custody battle," 12 Dec. 2019

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

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Dictionary Entries near correct

corrected establishment

corrected grain

Statistics for correct

Last Updated

17 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Correct.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/correct. Accessed 27 January 2020.

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More Definitions for correct

correct

verb

English Language Learners Definition of correct

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to change (something) so that it is right, true, proper, etc. : to make (something) correct

: to mark the errors on (something that a person has written)

: to deal with or take care of (a problem, bad situation, etc.) successfully

correct

adjective

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

: true or accurate : agreeing with facts

: having no errors or mistakes

: proper or appropriate in a particular situation

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

correct

verb

cor·rect | \ kə-ˈrekt

corrected; correcting

Kids Definition of correct

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to make or set right Please correct any misspelled words.

2 : to change or adjust so as to bring to some standard or to a required condition My watch was slow, so I corrected it. Glasses will correct your vision.

3 : to punish in order to improve … Buldeo went out angrily … anxious to correct Mowgli for not taking better care of the herd.— Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

4 : to show how a thing can be improved or made right She corrected the students' papers.

correct

adjective

Kids Definition of correct (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : free from mistakes : accurate the correct answer

2 : meeting or agreeing with some standard : appropriate correct behavior correct dress for school

correct

transitive verb

cor·rect | \ kə-ˈrekt