Meaning & use
course correction
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A small change in the direction of a ship, aircraft or spacecraft to put it back on its planned path.
Grammar: It has a plural: the pilot made two course corrections.
Patterns
- make a course correction
The pilot made a slight course correction to avoid the storm.
Mission control sent a course correction to the spacecraft after it drifted.
A tiny course correction at the start saved the ship hours of travel.
nouncountablefigurative
A change in plans, behavior or strategy made to get back on track after things have started to go wrong.
Grammar: Often used with make or need: the company needs a course correction.
Patterns
- make a course correction
- need a course correction
After weak sales, the company announced a course correction in its marketing.
The coach said the team needed a course correction before the next match.
A quick course correction saved the project from missing its deadline.
Word forms
| plural | course corrections |
|---|
Common combinations
- make a course correction
- We need to make a course correction before the budget runs out.
- a major course correction
- The new policy is a major course correction for the government.
- a slight course correction
- A slight course correction put the plane back on its route.
- need a course correction
- The project clearly needs a course correction.
- announce a course correction
- The board announced a course correction after the poor results.
Synonyms and how they differ
- change of direction
- This is the everyday version and can describe a big change, while a course correction suggests a smaller adjustment.
- adjustment
- This is a general word for any small change, and does not imply getting back to an earlier plan.
- U-turn
- This means a complete reversal of policy, which is much stronger than a course correction.
- recalibration
- This sounds more technical and stresses fine-tuning, while course correction stresses heading back toward a goal.
Word family
- course noun
- the direction something takes
- correct verb
- to make something right
- correction noun
- a change that fixes a mistake
- corrective adjective
- intended to put something right
Commonly confused: course correction or coarse?
course correction vs coarse
Coarse means rough in texture and sounds the same as course, but it has nothing to do with direction.
Practice
Sales had fallen for three months, so the manager decided that the strategy needed a ____.
Choose one answer.
Course correction is the set phrase for a change that gets something back on track. Coarse sounds the same but means rough, so it does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “course correction”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.