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fault
[ fawlt ]
noun
a fault in the brakes;
a fault in one's character.
Synonyms: shortcoming, frailty, blemish
Antonyms: perfection, merit, strength, virtue
- responsibility for failure or a wrongful act:
It is my fault that we have not finished.
- an error or mistake:
a fault in addition.
- a misdeed or transgression:
to confess one's faults.
- Sports. (in tennis, handball, etc.)
- a ball that when served does not land in the proper section of an opponent's court.
- a failure to serve the ball according to the rules, as from within a certain area.
- Geology, Mining. a break in the continuity of a body of rock or of a vein, with dislocation along the plane of the fracture fault plane.
- Manège. (of a horse jumping in a show) any of a number of improper executions in negotiating a jump, as a tick, knockdown, refusal, or run-out.
- Electricity. a partial or total local failure in the insulation or continuity of a conductor or in the functioning of an electric system.
- Hunting. a break in the line of scent; a losing of the scent; check.
- Obsolete. lack; want.
verb (used with object)
- Geology. to cause a fault in.
- to find fault with, blame, or censure.
fault
/ fɔːlt /
noun
- an imperfection; failing or defect; flaw
- a mistake or error
- an offence; misdeed
- responsibility for a mistake or misdeed; culpability
- electronics a defect in a circuit, component, or line, such as a short circuit
- geology a fracture in the earth's crust resulting in the relative displacement and loss of continuity of the rocks on either side of it
- tennis squash badminton an invalid serve, such as one that lands outside a prescribed area
- (in showjumping) a penalty mark given for failing to clear or refusing a fence, exceeding a time limit, etc
- hunting an instance of the hounds losing the scent
- deficiency; lack; want
- at fault
- guilty of error; culpable
- perplexed
- (of hounds) having temporarily lost the scent
- find faultto seek out minor imperfections or errors (in); carp (at)
- to a faultexcessively
verb
- geology to undergo or cause to undergo a fault
- tr to find a fault in, criticize, or blame
- intr to commit a fault
fault
/ fôlt /
- A fracture in a rock formation along which there has been movement of the blocks of rock on either side of the plane of fracture. Faults are caused by plate-tectonic forces.
- See more at normal faultSee Note at earthquake
fault
- In geology , a place where sections of the crust of the Earth move relative to each other. ( See earthquake and San Andreas fault .)
Notes
Other Words From
- post·fault noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of fault1
Word History and Origins
Origin of fault1
A Closer Look
Idioms and Phrases
- at fault,
- open to censure; blameworthy:
to be at fault for a mistake.
- in a dilemma; puzzled:
to be at fault as to where to go.
- (of hounds) unable to find the scent.
He constantly found fault with my behavior.
- to a fault, to an extreme degree; excessively:
She was generous to a fault.
More idioms and phrases containing fault
see at fault ; find fault ; to a fault .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
They said it was the fault of the White House that Ibarra, who entered the US unlawfully in 2022, was able to remain in the country despite his criminal record.
Health researchers have faulted numerous factors for that disparity, including inequities in healthcare, chronic conditions and structural racism.
In an understandably angry New York Times editorial on Sunday, Roxane Gay wrote, "Trump is successful because of his faults, not despite them, because we do not live in a just world."
“We celebrate almost a decade of marriage together and a love that is eternal. There’s no one at fault, we believe this is the next best chapter in the evolution of our love.”
A further societal benefit will be a refined map of earthquake-prone faults.
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Related Words
More About Fault
What does fault mean?
A fault is a defect, flaw, or imperfection in something, as in LaShona found the fault in the code that prevented the website from working correctly.
Fault is also responsibility for a failure or wrongful act, as in It was Jason’s fault that the puppy escaped because he left the front door open.
A fault is also an error or mistake, such as a fault in a solution to a math problem.
To fault someone is to blame them for an error, as in I can’t fault my sister for wanting to be like me.
Fault is commonly used in the idioms at fault and find fault. Someone who is at fault is guilty or responsible for something and could be blamed. Someone who finds fault exposes the flaws of a person or the defects of a product.
Example: It’s not my fault that the slippery dish fell out of my hands and broke.
Where does fault come from?
The first records of the term fault come from the 1200s. It ultimately comes from the Latin fallere, meaning “to be wrong.” When someone is at fault, they are usually wrong about something or did something wrong.
In geology, a fault is a break or crack in a stone, rock, or piece of earth. Faults can be small or large. Faults in the Earth are noteworthy because when a piece of rock attached to a fault moves or breaks, it can cause earthquakes in the surrounding area.
Did you know … ?
What are some other forms related to fault?
What are some synonyms for fault?
What are some words that share a root or word element with fault?
What are some words that often get used in discussing fault?
How is fault used in real life?
Fault is a common word used to discuss mistakes or failures.
Is it Le’Veon or AB’s fault Steelers offense looks awful?
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) September 9, 2019
We might have to upload tomorrow 😭 SORRY ETHAN TOLD ME TO TWEET THAT YESTERDAY ITS NOT MY FAULT
— Grayson Dolan (@GraysonDolan) August 12, 2017
Try using fault!
Which of the following is NOT a synonym for fault?
A. guilt
B. flaw
C. wrong
D. strength
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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