correction

[kuh-rek-shuhn]

noun

1. something that is substituted or proposed for what is wrong or inaccurate; emendation.

2. the act of correcting.

3. punishment intended to reform, improve, or rehabilitate; chastisement; reproof.

4. Usually corrections. the various methods, as incarceration, parole, and probation, by which society deals with convicted offenders.

5. a quantity applied or other adjustment made in order to increase accuracy, as in the use of an instrument or the solution of a problem.

   A five degree correction will put the ship on course.

6. a reversal of the trend of stock prices, especially temporarily, as after a sharp advance or decline in the previous trading sessions.

correction

/ kəˈrɛkʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of correcting

2. something offered or substituted for an error; an improvement

3. the act or process of punishing; reproof

4. a number or quantity added to or subtracted from a scientific or mathematical calculation or observation to increase its accuracy

Other Word Forms

• noncorrection noun
• precorrection noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of correction¹

1300–50; Middle English correccio ( u ) n (< Anglo-French ) < Latin corrēctiōn- (stem of corrēctiō ) a setting straight. See correct, -ion

Example Sentences

The force had initially said she was 14, before issuing a correction.

From BBC

A corrections department spokesperson confirmed the audio had been “erroneously” released, but did not elaborate or respond to additional questions from The Times.

From Los Angeles Times

With this, Knox, Lewinsky and their fellow producers paint an especially energizing work sharpened by societal course correction.

From Salon

When investigators reveal systemic violations, they can require what’s known as a global correction, forcing insurers or plan administrators to fix a problem across multitudes of plans and patients.

From Salon

I imagined him walking into the same yard where we’ve sat for visits, thinking about how he’ll get to pet his favorite rescue dog later, the one corrections officers bring in for training.

From Salon

When To Use

What is a correction?

A correction is something substituted for something that is wrong or inaccurate, such as when a newspaper issues a correction to a story it got wrong.A correction is also an adjustment or addition to something to make it more accurate, as when you make a steering correction while driving to ensure you are in the center of your lane.A correction is also a punishment that is meant to help you reform or improve. This is the type of correction connected with prisons, also called correctional facilities.Example: We are applying a correction to the story after it came out that one of the sources was lying.