Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To make or put right.
  • intransitive verb To remove the errors or mistakes from.
  • intransitive verb To indicate or mark the errors in.
  • intransitive verb To speak to or communicate with (someone) in order to point out a mistake or error.
  • intransitive verb To scold or punish so as to improve or reform.
  • intransitive verb To remedy or counteract (a defect, for example).
  • intransitive verb To adjust so as to meet a required standard or condition.
  • intransitive verb To make corrections.
  • intransitive verb To make adjustments; compensate.
  • adjective Free from error or fault; true or accurate.
  • adjective Conforming to standards; proper.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In accordance or agreement with a certain standard, model, or original; conformable to truth, rectitude, or propriety; not faulty; free from error or misapprehension; accurate: as, the correct time.
  • noun Correction.
  • To make straight or right; remove error from; bring into accordance with a standard or original; point out errors in.
  • Specifically— To note or mark errors or defects in, as a printer's proof, a book, a manuscript, etc., by marginal or interlinear writing.
  • To make alterations in, as type set for printing, according to the marking on a proof taken from it; make the changes required by: as, to correct a page or a form; to correct a proof.
  • To point out and remove, or endeavor to remove, an error or fault in: as, to correct an astronomical observation.
  • To destroy or frustrate; remove or counteract the operation or effects of, especially of something that is undesirable or injurious; rectify: as, to correct abuses; to correct the acidity of the stomach by alkaline preparations.
  • Specifically, in optics, to eliminate from (an eyepiece or object-glass) the spherical or chromatic aberration which tends to make the image respectively indistinct or discolored. See aberration, 4.
  • To endeavor to cause moral amendment in; especially, punish for wrong-doing; discipline.
  • Synonyms Improve, Better. See amend.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Set right, or made straight; hence, conformable to truth, rectitude, or propriety, or to a just standard; not faulty or imperfect; free from error.
  • transitive verb To make right; to bring to the standard of truth, justice, or propriety; to rectify.
  • transitive verb To remove or retrench the faults or errors of; to amend; to set right.
  • transitive verb To bring back, or attempt to bring back, to propriety in morals; to reprove or punish for faults or deviations from moral rectitude; to chastise; to discipline.
  • transitive verb To counteract the qualities of one thing by those of another; -- said of whatever is wrong or injurious.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Free from error; true; the state of having an affirmed truth.
  • adjective With good manners; well behaved; conforming with accepted standards of behaviour.
  • verb transitive To make something that was not valid become right. To remove error.
  • verb by extension, transitive To grade (examination papers).
  • verb transitive To inform (someone) of the latter's error.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective socially right or correct
  • adjective correct in opinion or judgment
  • verb alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard
  • verb adjust for
  • verb treat a defect
  • adjective free from error; especially conforming to fact or truth
  • verb go down in value
  • verb punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience
  • verb make reparations or amends for
  • verb censure severely
  • adjective in accord with accepted standards of usage or procedure
  • verb make right or correct

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English correcten, from Latin corrigere, corrēct- : com-, intensive pref.; see com– + regere, to rule; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin correctus ("improved, amended, correct"), past participle of corrigere, conrigere ("to make straight, make right, make better, improve, correct"), from com- ("together") + regere ("to make straight, rule").

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Examples

  • _substantially_ correct, she neither declared nor implied that they were not taught in a manner absolutely correct, but ... as all who believe that they are set forth in a manner _absolutely correct_, believe, necessarily, that they are taught in a manner _substantially_ correct; for that which is absolute embraces that which is substantial and something more; she simply makes an affirmation, so far as two classes

    American Lutheranism Volume 2: The United Lutheran Church (General Synod, General Council, United Synod in the South) 1894

  • Of course, "Survivor: Panama Exile Island" -- let me get the title correct -- is going to make its premier tomorrow night on CBS.

    CNN Transcript Feb 1, 2006 2006

  • I say chaps, if you are going to write about a book you should at least get the title correct: it is, 'heaven + earth'.

    Crikey » Canberra Calling 2009

  • I was off sick on Wednesday and went to the doctor, who told me I have -- let me get the term correct -- "bullous myringit, is."

    unknown title 2009

  • I was off sick on Wednesday and went to the doctor, who told me I have -- let me get the term correct -- "bullous myringit, is."

    unknown title 2009

  • I say chaps, if you are going to write about a book you should at least get the title correct: it is, 'heaven + earth'.

    Crikey » Canberra Calling 2009

  • I was off sick on Wednesday and went to the doctor, who told me I have -- let me get the term correct -- "bullous myringit, is."

    unknown title 2009

  • I was off sick on Wednesday and went to the doctor, who told me I have -- let me get the term correct -- "bullous myringit, is."

    unknown title 2009

  • Look for the paper "National Security Policy of the United States", if I have the term correct in memory.

    Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2008

  • The reason I still generally use WP's search function is the fact that it will take you directly to the article if you get the title correct, and to the results otherwise; quite useful in conjunction with smart keywords, where I can type wp Penguin to get directly at that article.

    Slashdot: Apache 2008

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