Meaning & use
course correct
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Meanings
verbintransitiveinformalbusiness
To change your plan or behavior when you notice you are going the wrong way, so that you get back on track.
Grammar: Usually no object: the team needs to course correct.
Patterns
- course correct quickly
- need to course correct
After the poor sales figures, the team had to course correct.
We noticed the mistake early and were able to course correct.
The project slowly drifted until managers finally course corrected.
verbintransitivetechnical
To change the direction of a vehicle or spacecraft so that it returns to its intended path.
Grammar: Technical sense in navigation and spaceflight.
Patterns
- the ship course corrects
The probe fired its thrusters to course correct.
The pilot course corrected to avoid the storm.
Ships regularly course correct after strong currents push them away.
Word forms
| third person singular | course corrects |
|---|---|
| past tense | course corrected |
| -ing form | course correcting |
Common combinations
- quickly course correct
- The company can quickly course correct if sales drop.
- need to course correct
- We need to course correct before the deadline.
- course correct early
- Tracking progress lets you course correct early.
- course correct after feedback
- She course corrected after feedback from customers.
- course correction
- A small course correction put the project back on schedule.
Synonyms and how they differ
- adjust
- Adjust is a general word for small changes, whereas course correct implies returning to a path you strayed from.
- change tack
- Change tack means to try a different approach, and does not require that you went wrong.
- realign
- Realign suggests bringing things back into agreement, often in business strategy.
- recalibrate
- Recalibrate is more technical and suggests fine tuning measurements or targets.
Opposites
Word family
- course correction noun
- a change that brings something back on track
- course noun
- the direction something is moving
- correct verb
- to make right
- correction noun
- a change to fix an error
Commonly confused: course correct or change course?
course correct vs change course
Change course means to choose a new direction, but course correct means to return to the intended one.
Practice
The project is falling behind, so the manager decides to ____ before it is too late.
Choose one answer.
Course correct is the verb meaning to get back on track. The other options are unnatural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “course correct”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.