correction
noun
cor·rec·tion
kə-ˈrek-shən 
1
: the action or an instance of correcting: such as
a
b
: rebuke, punishment
c
: a bringing into conformity with a standard
d
: neutralization, counteraction
correction of acidity
2
: a decline in market price or business activity following and counteracting a rise
3
a
: something substituted in place of what is wrong
marking corrections on the students' papers
b
: a quantity applied by way of correcting (as for adjustment of an instrument)
4
: the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders through a program involving penal custody, parole, and probation
also
: the administration of such treatment as a matter of public policy
—usually used in plural
Examples of correction in a Sentence
The teacher marked corrections on his students' tests.
Please make corrections before handing in your compositions.
the correction of your mistakes
people in need of vision correction
Recent Examples on the Web
To contact the newsroom regarding correction requests, please email nytnews@nytimes.com.
—
New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
The association of animals with posture correction goes beyond an accident of digital cuteness.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Those positions added onto insurance that’s gotten more attention this year — tail-risk hedges that protect against a major crash, rather than a minor correction.
—Carly Wanna, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
Six New York prison inmates who sued the state’s corrections department over a planned lockdown that would have forced them indoors during Monday’s solar eclipse will be allowed to view the celestial phenomenon outside under a settlement agreement, their attorneys announced Thursday.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
But corrections officer Andrei Akinshin, who has guarded the giant black doors at the entrance of death row for more than a decade, told me he’s loved every minute of it.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
This combines quantum error correction techniques with strategies to determine which errors need to be fixed and the best way to fix them, says Krysta Svore, vice president of advanced quantum development at Microsoft.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Apr. 2024
David Sowerby, managing director and portfolio manager for Ancora Advisors in Bloomfield Hills, said the odds of some correction are likely in 2024 given the mounting list of global politics and uncertainty.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Basically, there’s Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity (which made a tiny but far-reaching correction to Isaac Newton’s concept of gravity), and there’s quantum mechanics.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2024
New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
The association of animals with posture correction goes beyond an accident of digital cuteness.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Those positions added onto insurance that’s gotten more attention this year — tail-risk hedges that protect against a major crash, rather than a minor correction.
—Carly Wanna, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
Six New York prison inmates who sued the state’s corrections department over a planned lockdown that would have forced them indoors during Monday’s solar eclipse will be allowed to view the celestial phenomenon outside under a settlement agreement, their attorneys announced Thursday.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
But corrections officer Andrei Akinshin, who has guarded the giant black doors at the entrance of death row for more than a decade, told me he’s loved every minute of it.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
This combines quantum error correction techniques with strategies to determine which errors need to be fixed and the best way to fix them, says Krysta Svore, vice president of advanced quantum development at Microsoft.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Apr. 2024
David Sowerby, managing director and portfolio manager for Ancora Advisors in Bloomfield Hills, said the odds of some correction are likely in 2024 given the mounting list of global politics and uncertainty.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Basically, there’s Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity (which made a tiny but far-reaching correction to Isaac Newton’s concept of gravity), and there’s quantum mechanics.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'correction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of correction was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing correction
Dictionary Entries Near correction
Cite this Entry
“Correction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/correction. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
correction
noun
cor·rec·tion
kə-ˈrek-shən
1
: the action or an instance of correcting
2
: a change that makes something right
3
: punishment or scolding intended to correct faults of character or behavior
Medical Definition
correction
noun
cor·rec·tion
kə-ˈrek-shən
: the action or an instance of correcting or neutralizing a harmful or undesirable condition
correction of acidity
correction of visual defects with glasses
Legal Definition
correction
noun
cor·rec·tion
1
: a decline in market price or business activity following and counteracting a rise
2
: the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders through a program involving penal custody, parole, and probation
—often used in pl.
correctional
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on correction
Nglish: Translation of correction for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of correction for Arabic Speakers
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