DictionaryAI

correspond

verb
kor-uh-SPOND/ˌkɔɹəˈspɑnd/UKko-ri-SPOND/ˌkɒɹɪˈspɒnd/

Formscorresponds, corresponding, corresponded

3 meanings of correspond

Practice

  1. 1
    verbintransitive
    To be equivalent or similar to something in character, quantity, quality, structure, or function.

    The witness's account corresponds to the physical evidence found at the scene.

    The Roman numerals correspond to the chapters listed in the book.

    Similarmatch, tally, agree, accord, conform

    Oppositediffer

    Note

    Here the verb takes to: an account corresponds to the evidence, a numeral to a chapter. The Latin behind it, com- "with" plus respondeo "to match, to answer to," still shows through, because two things that correspond answer to each other. Swap in with and the verb usually turns toward the letter-writing meaning, so the preposition is your quickest guide to which sense is meant.

  2. 2
    verbintransitive
    To keep up an exchange of messages with someone over time, especially letters sent by mail.

    The scientists corresponded for decades, sharing ideas across the Atlantic.

    Soldiers at the front would correspond with their families whenever the mail allowed.

    Similarwrite, communicate

    Note

    The letter-writer's preposition is with: you correspond with a pen pal, a colleague, a family back home. Because the verb names an exchange running over time, it sits naturally in the progressive with a span attached, as in I've been corresponding with my pen pal for three years. When both parties share the subject, the with phrase drops away: the two scientists corresponded.

  3. 3
    verbobsolete
    To have sexual relations with someone.
    When a Babylonian and his wife had a mind to correspond, they always first lit up the fuming pan, imagining it improved the passion.
    1756, Thomas Amory, Life of John Buncle
    Note

    An eighteenth-century meaning that a modern reader can easily miss. When a man in Tobias Smollett's The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle (1751) admits he "had corresponded with other women lately," letters are not the point. Thomas Amory uses the verb the same way in 1756. The sense is obsolete, so recognize it in older texts but never use it. Check the context before assuming the letter-writing meaning.

Practice

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Origin

From Middle French correspondre, from Latin com- ("with") plus respondeo ("to match, to answer to"); equivalent to co- + respond.