accord

American  

[uh-kawrd] / əˈkɔrd /

verb (used without object)

• accords,
  present (3rd person singular)
• accorded,
  past participle,  past
• according
  present participle

1. to be in agreement or harmony; agree.

   Synonyms:

   concur, harmonize

   Antonyms:

   conflict

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verb (used with object)

• accords,
  present (3rd person singular)
• accorded,
  past participle,  past
• according
  present participle

1. to make agree or correspond; adapt.

   Synonyms:

   reconcile

2. to grant; bestow.

   to accord due praise.

   Antonyms:

   withdraw, deny, withhold

3. Archaic. to settle; reconcile.

noun

• accords
  plural

1. proper relationship or proportion; harmony.

2. a harmonious union of sounds, colors, etc.

3. consent or concurrence of opinions or wills; agreement.

4. an international agreement; settlement of questions outstanding among nations.

idioms

1. of one's own accord, without being asked or told; voluntarily.

   We did the extra work of our own accord.

accord British  

/ əˈkɔːd /

noun

1. agreement; conformity; accordance (esp in the phrase in accord with )

2. consent or concurrence of opinion

3. unanimously

4. pleasing relationship between sounds, colours, etc; harmony

5. a settlement of differences, as between nations; compromise

6. voluntarily

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verb

1. to be or cause to be in harmony or agreement

2. (tr) to grant; bestow

accord More Idioms  

1. see of one's own accord.

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Usage

What does accord mean? To accord is to agree or be in harmony with someone or something. Accord is usually used formally to mean to work together. It is often used in official decrees, analysis of public figures, and governmental affairs. Related to this, an accord is an agreement. In particular when nations agree to something, we often say they have reached an accord, as with the Paris Climate Accords. To accord can also mean to grant or bestow. Oftentimes an item that is accorded is something that will strengthen a relationship or agreement, as with according someone praise or forgiveness. Example: Failure to reach an accord will mean the battle will continue for years to come.

Synonym Usage

See correspond.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• accorder
  noun
• nonaccord
  noun
• preaccord
  noun
• accordable
  adjective
• unaccordable
  adjective
• unaccorded
  adjective
• well-accorded
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• accords
  plural

Participles

• according
  present
• accorded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• accord
  simple
• accords
  simple
• have accorded
  perfect
• has accorded
  perfect
• am according
  progressive
• are according
  progressive
• is according
  progressive
• have been according
  perfect progressive
• has been according
  perfect progressive

Past

• accorded
  simple
• had accorded
  perfect
• was according
  progressive
• were according
  progressive
• had been according
  perfect progressive

Future

• will accord
  simple
• will have accorded
  perfect
• will be according
  progressive
• will have been according
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of accord

First recorded in 1100–50; Middle English a(c)corden, late Old English acordan, from Old French acorder, from Vulgar Latin accordāre (unrecorded), from Latin ac- ac- + cor (stem cord- ) “heart” ( see cordial); see also heart

Explanation

An accord is an agreement between groups or even nations, like a formal peace accord that prevents war or the accord between you and your sister specifying who gets to use the car on which days. Accord is an agreeable word. If you and your best friend are always in accord, you agree about everything. And if you do something of your own accord, you do it without prompting from someone else. As a verb, accord means to be in harmony or agreement, or to allow. Perhaps your enhanced vocabulary will accord you, or allow you, a better understanding of language.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accord accords accorded according

She said that during police interviews McDevitt "had provided repeated and detailed false accounts without any pressure being applied on him of his own accord".

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

A ceasefire and demilitarisation accord is signed the next day in Sarajevo under UN auspices, but it is never respected.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

The arrangement ended with a 1951 accord, struck amid a fight over how to pay for the Korean War.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

In his campaign for the top Fed job, Warsh said he was open to a rewrite of the accord, but he hasn’t given any specifics.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

As by common accord, they all rose to their feet.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

Posting on X, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Saudi Arabia joining the accords "would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East".

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

These accords involve Arab or Muslim countries normalizing relations with Israel.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

Established as part of the 1995 peace deal that ended Bosnia's inter-ethnic war, the high representative oversees the civilian implementation of the accords and enjoys sweeping powers in the Balkan nation.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

The result was an unprecedented direct dialogue that eventually paved the way for Israeli accords with Jordan and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

“It is here written, ‘Seven entered Meereen to sign the peace accords and witness the celebratory games at the Pit of Daznak.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

You’ll notice that the coyote isn’t even accorded a jury of his peers, merely two animated jurors out of 12, and one is a silly goose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

This column has long maintained that a major operation to wrest control of the Persian Gulf would be recommitting to a strategic past that accorded excessive primacy to the Gulf and its oil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

"The Iranian side had requested permission on 28 February for three ships in the region to dock at our ports. This was accorded on 1 March," Jaishankar told parliament on Monday.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026

That AFP was accorded rare access to film and photograph a competition for women and girls was itself a sign of greater official openness.

From Barron's ● Nov. 17, 2025

I was told that this was the first time such an honor was accorded to a foreigner since Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois had come to Ghana.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Funerals for the victims -- 20 girls and six boys, according to M23 -- are expected to be held on Saturday.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

Now precious metals, gemstones, and culturally significant artefacts including Chinese porcelain are increasingly targeted, according to Europol's report.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

About half of U.S. adults said earlier this year they have used chatbots at some point, up nearly 50% from 2024, according to the Pew Research Center.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

The ferry's manifest listed 134 crew and passengers, but two had not boarded, according to the coast guard.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

Her stated plan for that afternoon was to diwy us up among the first, second, and third readers, according to our abilities.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• affirm
• agree
• conform
• correspond