I. cor ‧ rect 1 S1 W2 /kəˈrekt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ correction , ↑ correctness , ↑ corrective ; adjective : ↑ correct ≠ ↑ incorrect , ↑ corrective ; verb : ↑ correct ; adverb : ↑ correctly ≠ ↑ incorrectly ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of corrigere , from com- ( ⇨ COM- ) + regere 'to lead straight' ]
1 . having no mistakes SYN right OPP incorrect :
If my calculations are correct, we’re about ten miles from Exeter.
Score one point for each correct answer.
You are absolutely correct, the Missouri is the longest river in the US.
factually/grammatically/anatomically etc correct
The sentence is grammatically correct, but doesn’t sound natural.
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In everyday English, people usually say right rather than correct :
▪
Are you sure you’ve got the right address?
2 . suitable and right for a particular situation:
What’s the correct procedure in cases like this?
The correct way to lift heavy weights is to make sure that your back is straight.
3 . correct behaviour is formal and polite SYN proper :
It was not considered correct for young ladies to go out on their own.
—correctly adverb :
If I remember correctly, he’s Spanish.
We must make sure that things are done correctly.
—correctness noun [uncountable]
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COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ a correct answer
Lucy got fourteen out of twenty correct answers.
▪ a correct entry (=correct answer in a competition)
The first five correct entries will win £50.
▪ correct information
I’m not sure that I’ve been given the correct information.
▪ correct spelling (=the correct way of writing words)
Copying does not teach correct spelling.
▪ correct pronunciation (=the correct way of saying words)
The dictionary will help you learn the correct pronunciation.
■ adverbs
▪ absolutely/perfectly/entirely correct (=completely correct)
What he said was perfectly correct.
▪ not strictly correct (=not correct according to some standards)
The grammar in this sentence is not strictly correct.
▪ grammatically correct (=written or spoken with correct grammar)
Simple sentences are more likely to be grammatically correct than long complex ones.
▪ factually correct (=having all the correct facts)
Articles in the newspaper are not always factually correct.
▪ broadly/essentially correct (=correct in most ways, but possibly not all)
All the evidence suggests that the results of his research are essentially correct.
■ verbs
▪ prove correct (=be shown to be true)
Fortunately, my memory proved correct.
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THESAURUS
▪ right not wrong – used about something someone says, or about the person who says it:
the right answer
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You were right about the colour.
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‘He’s about thirty, isn’t he?’ ‘That’s right.’
▪ correct right. Correct sounds more formal than right :
the correct answer
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He is absolutely correct.
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Unfortunately, this information is not correct.
▪ accurate right – used about information, measurements, descriptions etc:
Make sure that your measurements are accurate.
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an accurate description of the suspect
▪ exact an exact number, amount, or time is completely correct, and is no more and no less than it should be:
The exact time is 9.28 a.m.
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The exact weight of the baby was 3.3 kilos.
▪ spot-on British English spoken informal exactly right – used especially about guesses or things people say:
His answer was spot-on.
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You’re spot-on.
II. correct 2 S3 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ correction , ↑ correctness , ↑ corrective ; adjective : ↑ correct ≠ ↑ incorrect , ↑ corrective ; verb : ↑ correct ; adverb : ↑ correctly ≠ ↑ incorrectly ]
1 . to make something right or to make it work the way it should:
Some eyesight problems are relatively easy to correct.
You have the right to see a copy of your file, and to correct any mistakes you may find.
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In everyday British English, people usually say put something right rather than correct something:
▪
The problem should be fairly easy to put right.
2 . to show someone that something is wrong, and make it right:
Correct my pronunciation if it’s wrong.
‘She’s in Ireland now.’ ‘She was,’ Farrell corrected him.
correct yourself
‘I,’ Lady Deverill corrected herself, ‘we are very happy here.’
3 . if a teacher corrects a student’s written work, he or she writes marks on it to show the mistakes in it
4 . correct me if I’m wrong spoken used when you are not sure that what you are going to say is true or not:
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you say you’d never met him before?
5 . I stand corrected formal spoken used to admit that something you have said is wrong after someone has told you it is wrong