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 Iowa Democrats raced to correct inconsistencies in results from 55 precincts, or 3%, of the more than 1,700 precincts over the weekend -- as flagged by the campaigns of Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and some county chairs. — Rick Klein And, ABC News, "The Note: Biden slashes but may not burn New Hampshire front-runners," 10 Feb. 2020 With guidance from the medical staff of the New Orleans Pelicans, Williamson tried to correct biomechanical flaws suspected of contributing to a tear in the lateral meniscus — a rubbery, shock-absorbing cartilage on the outside of his right knee. — New York Times, "Zion Williamson Is Back. Will His Knee Hold Up?," 24 Jan. 2020 From the top, the camera follows the lead -- a loner in a hotel room who turns to tablets and booze to try correct his nasty paranoia. — Lars Brandle, Billboard, "Eminem's New 'Darkness' Music Video Is Darker Than It First Appears: Watch," 17 Jan. 2020 Flight controllers tried to correct the problem, but between the spacecraft’s position and a gap in communications, their signals did not get through. — Marcia Dunn, SFChronicle.com, "Boeing capsule returns after aborted space mission," 22 Dec. 2019 Kathleen Deagan, a professor of archaeology at the University of Florida, said people have spent their careers trying to correct the erroneous belief. — USA Today, "Forget what you know about 1619, historians say. Slavery began a half century before Jamestown," 17 Dec. 2019 Russell Dotson had tried on his own to correct the problem, without success. — Stephanie Zimmermann, Detroit Free Press, "Navy fixes GI Bill error that forced student to leave DePaul and left her with $20K debt," 17 Dec. 2019 This story has been corrected to show the last name of the CEO of Catalyst is Hariton, not Harington. — Hope Yen And Alexandra Olson, Houston Chronicle, "Paid parental leave for fed workers could spur wider changes," 16 Dec. 2019 Policymakers would have to correct their mistakes if prices veered off course. — The Economist, "Central banksHow to make economic policy fit for a world of low inflation," 10 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective However, even if this explanation is correct, Warren obviously also has ideological supporters. — Bonnie Kristian, TheWeek, "4 theories for why Warren supporters didn't break for Sanders in New Hampshire," 12 Feb. 2020 Early numbers indicate that Shi was, in fact, correct. — Grady Mcgregor, Fortune, "How is China experiencing the coronavirus outbreak? Almost entirely online," 12 Feb. 2020 Doocy is indeed correct in that there is a much smaller Kansas City across the river in Kansas. — cleveland, "MSNBC, Fox News react differently to Trump congratulating Kansas on Super Bowl win," 3 Feb. 2020 Consistency is the Achilles’ heel of muzzleloader accuracy, but with this system, there is no doubt as to whether the bullet is seated or the powder charge is correct. — The Editors, Field & Stream, "Best New Guns and Gear of the 2020 SHOT Show," 21 Jan. 2020 Officials are probing to identify, and potentially correct, any violations of workplace safety regulations, Polizzi said. — Alejandro Serrano, SFChronicle.com, "Man dies after being struck by falling eucalyptus tree in Mill Valley," 28 Jan. 2020 If our suspicion that Harry Styles is en route to take Meghan Markle’s place on the sartorial throne is correct, then Marc Jacobs and the JoBros aren’t going to be the last A-listers to jump aboard the pearl necklace bandwagon — not even close. — Eliza Huber, refinery29.com, "Thanks To The Harry Styles Effect, Pearl Necklaces Are Everywhere," 28 Jan. 2020 In August 1896 the ship finally found open water and was able to sail back to Norway, proving Nansen’s theory correct. — National Geographic, "Arctic obsession drove explorers to seek the North Pole," 24 Jan. 2020 Already, a focus of social media discussion about the current virus crisis has been on how hard it’s been to get correct information, and whether officials were slow to respond in the early stages, at least in Wuhan. — Echo Huang, Quartz, "China’s battle with the Wuhan coronavirus is shackled by a toxic relationship with information," 23 Jan. 2020

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

14 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Correct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/correct. Accessed 26 Feb. 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