What does "accord" mean?
Agreement or concurrence of opinion, will, or action.
Accord
/əˈkɔɹd/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Agreement or concurrence of opinion, will, or action.
- Grammar: accord is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: agreement, pact, treaty, accede to.
- Useful contrasts: contrary to, emotional tension, minor disagreement.
- Usage evidence: Students came of their own accord to help the villagers.
How to use "accord"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "accord" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "accord" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "accord" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "accord" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "accord" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "agreement" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "accord", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Agreement or concurrence of opinion, will, or action. countable, uncountable
"These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Iesus, and with his brethen."
- 2 sympathetic compatibility wordnet
- 3 A harmony in sound, pitch and tone; concord. countable, uncountable
"Those sweet accords are even the angels' lays."
- 4 a written agreement between two states or sovereigns wordnet
- 5 Agreement or harmony of things in general. countable, uncountable
"the accord of light and shade in painting"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 concurrence of opinion wordnet
- 7 A distinctive mixture of fragrances or the odor thereof. countable
"Oriental fragrances often incorporate an accord referred to as amber. It is a perfumery accord using vanilla, olibanum, balsamic resins, and citrus to varying degrees."
- 8 harmony of people's opinions or actions or characters wordnet
- 9 An agreement between parties in controversy, by which satisfaction for an injury is stipulated, and which, when executed, prevents a lawsuit. countable, uncountable
"Accord is a satisfaction agreed upon between the party injuring and the party injured ; which , when performed , is a bar of all actions upon this account"
- 10 An international agreement. countable, uncountable
"The Geneva Accord of 1954 ended the French-Indochinese War."
- 11 Voluntary or spontaneous impulse to act. countable, uncountable
"Nobody told me to do it. I did it of my own accord."
Verb
- 1 To make to agree or correspond; to suit one thing to another; to adjust. transitive
"[H]er hands accorded the Lutes muſicke to the voice; […]"
- 2 allow to have wordnet
- 3 To bring (people) to an agreement; to reconcile, settle, adjust or harmonize. transitive
"But Satyrane forth ſtepping, did them ſtay / And with faire treaty pacifide their yre; / Then when they were accorded from the fray, […]"
- 4 go together wordnet
- 5 To agree or correspond; to be in harmony; to be concordant. intransitive
"For things are often ſpoke, and ſeldome meant, / But that my heart accordeth with my tongue, […]"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To agree in pitch and tone. intransitive
- 7 To grant as suitable or proper; to concede or award. transitive
"And, when the blinding tears had fallen, I saw That column, and those corpses, and the moon, And felt the poisonous tooth of hunger gnaw My vitals, I rejoiced, as if the boon Of senseless death would be accorded soon;— […]"
- 8 To give consent. intransitive, obsolete
- 9 To arrive at an agreement. archaic, intransitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
contrary toemotional tensionminor disagreementmutual disagreement
Example
"Students came of their own accord to help the villagers."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "accord"?
Common synonyms include: agreement, pact, treaty, accede to, accept, acceptance.
How do you use "accord" in a sentence?
Students came of their own accord to help the villagers.
How do you pronounce "accord"?
Pronounced /əˈkɔɹd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English accord, from Old French acort, from acorder (see verb below).
Etymology 2
From Middle English accorden, acorden, borrowed from Old French acorder (compare modern French accord and accorder), from Vulgar Latin *accordāre, from Latin concordāre via prefix substitution (with Latin ad-), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr ~ *ḱr̥d-, and thus distantly related to English heart (via Proto-Germanic *hertô).