correct
1 of 2verb
cor·rect kə-ˈrekt 
corrected; correcting; corrects
transitive verb
1
a
: 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.
2
a
: 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
Rex Ingamells b
: to point out usually for amendment the errors or faults of
spent the day correcting tests
correctable
kə-ˈrek-tə-bəl
adjective corrector
kə-ˈrek-tər
noun correct
2 of 2adjective
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
correctly
kə-ˈrek(t)-lē
adverb correctness
kə-ˈrek(t)-nəs
noun 
Synonyms
Verb
- amend
- debug
- emend
- rectify
- red-pencil
- reform
- remedy
Adjective
- accurate
- bang on [chiefly British]
- dead-on
- exact
- good
- on-target
- precise
- proper
- right
- so
- spot-on
- true
- veracious
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2022 Want in-house confirmation of Fields’ urgency to proactively correct the little mistakes of his offensive teammates? Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 Among them was a concerted effort to correct the underrepresentation of women in occupations that had systematically excluded them, including architecture. Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 7 Sep. 2022 The below information is included to correct a few of your misguided statements in the letter sent to myself and Bob Rapoza, Executive Director of the Board of Elections. Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2022 In addition to getting youth out of the office building, the county has been taking action to correct other areas of concern, and plan future solutions. Kaitlin Durbin, cleveland, 4 Sep. 2022 The Bank of Japan, meanwhile, has pledged to keep interest rates ultra-low in a bid to correct chronically weak inflation. Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2022 But there is little indication that Republicans will course correct. Jill Filipovic, CNN, 30 Aug. 2022 There’s a lot of lawyers who spend time down there trying to correct a terrible situation. David Marchesephotograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 17 June 2022 Bob Christie, ajc, 9 Sep. 2022 Nanisca’s intuition proves to be correct, but a recurring nightmare forces her to wrestle with her own demons, too. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2022 Matt Kelley, an attorney who represented the news organizations that sued, argued in his court papers that Brnovich is not correct. Bob Christie, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2022 The reason the call was correct is because the ball stayed within the tackle box, even with the errant snap. Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 8 Sep. 2022 Alan Beck, an attorney for Young, said O’Scannlain was correct. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2022 If Friedman were correct, the Scandinavian countries—liberal social democracies, and as such economic nightmares by Friedman’s lights—would all be gulags. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 6 Sep. 2022 Still, John Philip, the head of the Hartford tax assessor department, says the city’s interpretation of how the property is assessed is correct and, therefore, the nonprofit owes the full $2.45 million. Ted Glanzer, Hartford Courant, 3 Sep. 2022 Unsurprisingly if also a bit sadly, the latter group would appear to be correct. Michael Nordine, Variety, 1 Sep. 2022 See More
Verb
Designed to correct redness and dark marks, CC cream provides a bit more coverage than its sister BB cream, while still allowing the skin to shine through. Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2022 Want in-house confirmation of Fields’ urgency to proactively correct the little mistakes of his offensive teammates? Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 Among them was a concerted effort to correct the underrepresentation of women in occupations that had systematically excluded them, including architecture. Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 7 Sep. 2022 The below information is included to correct a few of your misguided statements in the letter sent to myself and Bob Rapoza, Executive Director of the Board of Elections. Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2022 In addition to getting youth out of the office building, the county has been taking action to correct other areas of concern, and plan future solutions. Kaitlin Durbin, cleveland, 4 Sep. 2022 The Bank of Japan, meanwhile, has pledged to keep interest rates ultra-low in a bid to correct chronically weak inflation. Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2022 But there is little indication that Republicans will course correct. Jill Filipovic, CNN, 30 Aug. 2022 There’s a lot of lawyers who spend time down there trying to correct a terrible situation. David Marchesephotograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 17 June 2022 Adjective
Matt Kelley, an attorney who represented the news organizations that sued, argued in his court papers that Brnovich is not correct. Bob Christie, ajc, 9 Sep. 2022 Nanisca’s intuition proves to be correct, but a recurring nightmare forces her to wrestle with her own demons, too. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2022 Matt Kelley, an attorney who represented the news organizations that sued, argued in his court papers that Brnovich is not correct. Bob Christie, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2022 The reason the call was correct is because the ball stayed within the tackle box, even with the errant snap. Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 8 Sep. 2022 Alan Beck, an attorney for Young, said O’Scannlain was correct. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2022 If Friedman were correct, the Scandinavian countries—liberal social democracies, and as such economic nightmares by Friedman’s lights—would all be gulags. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 6 Sep. 2022 Still, John Philip, the head of the Hartford tax assessor department, says the city’s interpretation of how the property is assessed is correct and, therefore, the nonprofit owes the full $2.45 million. Ted Glanzer, Hartford Courant, 3 Sep. 2022 Unsurprisingly if also a bit sadly, the latter group would appear to be correct. Michael Nordine, Variety, 1 Sep. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Latin correctus, past participle of corrigere, from com- + regere to lead straight — more at right
Adjective
Middle English, corrected, from Latin correctus, from past participle of corrigere — see correct entry 1
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing correct
Kids Definition
correct 1 of 2
verb
cor·rect kə-ˈrekt
corrected; correcting
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
Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book4
: to show how a thing can be improved or made right
She corrected the students' papers.
correct
2 of 2adjective
1
: free from mistakes : accurate
the correct answer
2
: meeting or agreeing with some standard : appropriate
correct behavior
correct dress for school
Medical Definition
correct
transitive verb
cor·rect kə-ˈrekt
: to alter or adjust so as to bring to some standard or required condition
correct a lens for spherical aberration
correct 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in accurate
being in agreement with the truth or a fact or a standard a real brainteaser with only one correct solution to it Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- accurate
- true
- proper
- precise
- good
- right
- exact
- so
- logical
- valid
- perfect
- legitimate
- dead-on
- spot-on
- veracious
- bang on
- on-target
- sound
- on target
- flawless
- infallible
- faultless
- impeccable
- on the money
- rigorous
- inerrant
- strict
- errorless
- letter-perfect
- stringent
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- wrong
- incorrect
- improper
- false
- inaccurate
- off
- untrue
- defective
- faulty
- imperfect
- inexact
- flawed
2
as in proper
following the established traditions of refined society and good taste painfully correct dress for the state dinner at the White House Synonyms & Similar Words
- proper
- polite
- acceptable
- satisfactory
- respectable
- adequate
- nice
- decent
- decorous
- dress
- formal
- befitting
- elegant
- relevant
- seemly
- genteel
- gracious
- tolerable
- de rigueur
- allowed
- authorized
- dignified
- compatible
- permitted
- apt
- prim
- material
- congenial
- harmonious
- kosher
- priggish
- dressy
- stuffy
- stiff
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- incorrect
- improper
- inappropriate
- unacceptable
- unsatisfactory
- indecent
- unseemly
- intolerable
- unbecoming
- indelicate
- informal
- casual
- prohibited
- barred
- indecorous
- shabby
- forbidden
- tacky
- ungenteel
- disallowed
- seedy
- proscribed
- awkward
- grungy
- gauche
- banned
- outlawed
- ungraceful
- interdicted
3
as in formal
marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details the correct method for folding the American flag Synonyms & Similar Words
- proper
- formal
- nice
- decorous
- ceremonious
- punctilious
- civil
- stiff
- solemn
- stilted
- starchy
- polite
- polished
- stiff-necked
- refined
- chivalrous
- sober
- courteous
- gallant
- stately
- courtly
- genteel
- red-carpet
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- improper
- informal
- casual
- easygoing
- unceremonious
- indecorous
- unmannerly
- discourteous
- impolite
- rude
- laid-back
correct
2 of 2verb
1
as in to amend
to remove errors, defects, deficiencies, or deviations from more time will be needed to correct the computer program Synonyms & Similar Words
- amend
- rectify
- remedy
- reform
- rewrite
- change
- right
- improve
- emend
- debug
- modify
- adjust
- repair
- revise
- better
- perfect
- rework
- red-pencil
- redress
- shorten
- fix
- alter
- ameliorate
- redraw
- redraft
- polish
- regulate
- modulate
- cut
- touch up
- blue-pencil
- restyle
- mend
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- hurt
- damage
- harm
- impair
- injure
- spoil
- aggravate
- mar
- worsen
2
as in to offset
to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective hopefully the young entrepreneur's professionalism will serve to correct his partner's extreme enthusiasm in the eyes of investors Synonyms & Similar Words
- offset
- neutralize
- remedy
- counteract
- counterbalance
- invalidate
- outweigh
- counterpoise
- negative
- annul
- compensate (for)
- nullify
- negate
- cancel (out)
- relieve
- redress
- neuter
- make up (for)
- redeem
- override
- overrule
- atone (for)
- outbalance
3
as in to punish
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime an insensitive boss who liked to correct subordinates in front of their colleagues Synonyms & Similar Words
- punish
- fine
- penalize
- criticize
- discipline
- sentence
- chastise
- assess
- chasten
- convict
- impose
- charge
- castigate
- condemn
- damn
- levy
- rebuke
- denounce
- dock
- reprimand
- reprove
- keelhaul
- mulct
- wreak
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- excuse
- spare
- pardon
- forfeit
- release
- vindicate
- ransom
- exonerate
- absolve
- commute
- exculpate
- acquit
- get off
- reprieve
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of correct are accurate, exact, nice, precise, and right. While all these words mean "conforming to fact, standard, or truth," correct usually implies freedom from fault or error.
correct answers
socially correct dress
The synonyms accurate and correct are sometimes interchangeable, but accurate implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.
an accurate description
The words exact and correct are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth.
exact measurements
While in some cases nearly identical to correct, nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination.
makes nice distinctions
Precise adds to exact an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation.
precise calibration
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