autocorrect

noun

au·​to·​cor·​rect ˈȯ-(ˌ)tō-kə-ˈrekt How to pronounce autocorrect (audio)
: a computer feature that attempts to correct the spelling of a word as the user types it
The iPad boasts an autocorrect system that will try to figure out what you mean to type even when you don't quite tap the right keys.Dan Moren
autocorrect verb, transitive + intransitive
autocorrected; autocorrecting
When your phone autocorrects "I'll be around later" to "I'll be aroused later" in a text to your boss, a whole new level of mortifying sets in. NPR.org
Did you know "kale" autocorrects to "Jake"? I found this out over Labor Day weekend when I jotted down this month's recipe in the notes section of my phone. Francesca Olsen

Examples of autocorrect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Microsoft is finally rolling out spellcheck and autocorrect for its Notepad app in Windows 11, more than 40 years after the simple text editor was first introduced in Windows in 1983. Tom Warren, The Verge, 8 July 2024 Microsoft has also added autocorrect to Notepad, which means typos are automatically corrected when spellcheck is enabled. Tom Warren, The Verge, 8 July 2024 Andrew Cunningham Like other recent Notepad additions, spellcheck and autocorrect can be tweaked or disabled entirely in the settings. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 8 July 2024 Despite its grandiose name, AI isn’t intelligence at all but a math game anticipating what comes next: autocorrect on steroids. Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 18 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for autocorrect 

Word History

Etymology

auto- + correct entry 1

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of autocorrect was in 1981

Dictionary Entries Near autocorrect

Cite this Entry

“Autocorrect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autocorrect. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

autocorrect

noun
au·​to·​cor·​rect
ˈȯ-(ˌ)tō-kə-ˈrekt
: a computer feature that attempts to correct the spelling of a word as the user types
autocorrect verb
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