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When someone says

I stand corrected.

What does that mean?

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2 Answers

up vote 17 down vote accepted

It means "I admit that I was wrong".

See e.g. Cambridge Dictionaries:

used to admit that something you have said or done was wrong
I stand corrected - the date of foundation was 1411, and not 1412 as I had written.

Or Wiktionary:

Said to acknowledge someone who corrects something that one says or writes that was not correct.

The Battle of Hastings was fought in 1056.
No it wasn't! Look in the textbook!
Oh, sorry. I stand corrected - it was fought in 1066.

Note that the Cambridge Dictionary marks this idiom as "formal", and Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary as "somewhat formal".

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4  
great minds think alike :-) – John Satta Jan 6 '11 at 23:14
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@John & @Reg: Two excellent answers to vote for, as ever. I think this website is plagued by having too many skilled experts. – Cerberus Jan 7 '11 at 0:08
up vote 12 down vote

It means, "I admit that I was wrong".

It is often used by a person who has been holding a strong opinion when faced with conclusive contrary evidence.

John: "My keys are missing. They were stolen!"
Mary: "Look in your pocket."
John (after finding his keys in his own pocket): "I stand corrected."

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On a lighter note, I doubt the average John would use "I stand corrected" is this context ;-) – Jimi Oke Jan 6 '11 at 23:27
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@Jimi - perhaps not the average John, but this one would, and has. :-) – John Satta Jan 6 '11 at 23:30
Would the average @Jimi go with "my bad"? – RegDwighт♦ Jan 6 '11 at 23:52
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@RegDwight: Yes, he most certainly would, as in "Oops, my bad"!! (Thanks for the link!) @John Satta: Nice rejoinder! – Jimi Oke Jan 6 '11 at 23:58

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