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course correction

course correction

7 4.2
A change to a plan to make it work better
  • noun
  • /kɔrs kəˈrɛkʃən/
translation icon : corrección de rumbo
  • After analyzing the feedback, she decided a course correction was needed to meet the team's goals.

And, you know, so I think people see it, that they see that there needs to be a course correction.

Examples

  • Traffic was heavy this morning, and several times they had to make course corrections to avoid lumbering freight zeppelins and sleek hypersonic jetliners.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Fiscal policy was on an unsustainable course, and now it looks like a course correction is imminent.

    Blog text (19)
  • The question of the hour is: when will America make a course correction?

    Blog text (33)
  • I hope they make a course correction before it's too late.

    Blog text (18)
  • Now, listen, how much time do you estimate before a course correction is needed?

  • So these new standards represent a reasonable course correction.

    Academic text (2013)
  • I really hope we have a course correction coming, but I'm starting to doubt it.

    Blog text (20)
  • They're gonna have to make a course correction or hit the mountains.

  • The astronauts fully expected they would need to perform another course correction to make certain they entered the correct orbit around the moon...

  • If objectives are not being achieved, it's important to reevaluate and make necessary course corrections.

    Academic text (2016)

Synonyms

adjustment
vscourse correction
133 2.9

A small change that makes something fit or work better

is a strategic change aimed specifically at improving performance or results
recalibration
vscourse correction
1 6.1

A change to plans or strategy to make them work better

focuses specifically on improving performance or results rather than just reacting

How Dramatic

to overhaul
35 4.6
course correction
7 4.2
change
1.1
adjustment
133 2.9
tweak
28 3.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

course + correction

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'course' (route or direction, extended to a plan or strategy) with 'correction' (making something right), so it literally denotes adjusting one’s course or plan. This spatial→planning metaphor is common cross-linguistically and follows normal compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words should readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Course correction comes from steering: imagine a driver who sees they are drifting and turns the wheel a little to put the course back on track as a small correction. So a course correction means a small 'adjustment' to a plan to get better results.