correlation
noun
cor·re·la·tion
ˌkȯr-ə-ˈlā-shən 
ˌkär-
1
: the state or relation of being correlated
specifically
: a relation existing between phenomena or things or between mathematical or statistical variables which tend to vary, be associated, or occur together in a way not expected on the basis of chance alone
… the obviously high positive correlation between scholastic aptitude and college entrance … —
J. B. Conant
J. B. Conant 2
: the act of correlating
Examples of correlation in a Sentence
the correlation of brain size and intelligence
Researchers have found a direct correlation between smoking and lung cancer.
She says that there's no correlation between being thin and being happy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Results shows that the correlation between the amount of space given to single serve containers and violent crime.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
And what’s interesting, across tasks, across countries, there’s an extremely high correlation between the expertise that is provided by the human in measured in this way, and the sort of sophisticated actions that the model produces.
—Matthew Heimer, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
Animal case studies of the phenomenon show definitively that microplastics cause disease, while human studies show a high correlation.
—Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2026
Essentially, these machines can learn higher order correlations between events, meaning the patterns of conditional interactions that depend on the properties of multiple things simultaneously.
—Benjamin P. Brown, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for correlation
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Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
And what’s interesting, across tasks, across countries, there’s an extremely high correlation between the expertise that is provided by the human in measured in this way, and the sort of sophisticated actions that the model produces.
—Matthew Heimer, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
Animal case studies of the phenomenon show definitively that microplastics cause disease, while human studies show a high correlation.
—Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2026
Essentially, these machines can learn higher order correlations between events, meaning the patterns of conditional interactions that depend on the properties of multiple things simultaneously.
—Benjamin P. Brown, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for correlation
Cite this Entry
“Correlation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/correlation. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
correlation
noun
cor·re·la·tion
ˌkȯr-ə-ˈlā-shən
ˌkär-
1
: the act or process of correlating
2
: the state of being correlated
especially
: a mutual relation discovered to exist between things
the correlation between smoking and lung cancer
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