Illustration of fault
- 1 fault with displaced strata a b c d e
- 2 scarp
1
b
: a physical or intellectual imperfection or impairment : defect
a theory with some serious faults
c
: an error especially in service in a net or racket game
She committed too many faults to win the match.
2
: responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
the accident was the driver's fault
3
a
: mistake
The misplacement of "only" is one of the most common writing faults.
b
: misdemeanor
a small boy's faults
4
: a fracture in the crust of a planet (such as the earth) or moon accompanied by a displacement of one side of the fracture with respect to the other usually in a direction parallel to the fracture
Frequent earthquakes have occurred along the San Andreas Fault.
5
obsolete
: lack
see also:
faulted; faulting; faults
1
: to find a fault in
But you can't fault the effort of these players. They keep fighting and playing.—
Jeff Seidel
Jeff Seidel3
: to produce a geologic fault in
Examples of fault in a Sentence
Noun
Lack of courage is his worst fault.
If the book has a fault, it's that it's too long.
It's your own fault you missed that bus.
Through no fault of his own, he won't be able to attend the meeting.
She committed too many faults to win the match.
Verb
The truck driver was faulted for the accident.
Many have faulted her for not acting sooner.
I can't fault him for trying to protect his family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeff McMurray, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2026
The fault lay with Orbitz’s inaccurate listing.
—Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Elinore Weil, Artforum, 4 Mar. 2026
Johnson, in turn, faulted Allred for supporting the Laken Riley Act, which requires federal detention of certain migrants accused of crimes, such as theft or burglary.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fault
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Video installed on snowplows in Iowa helped demonstrate that all but one of 12 snowplow accidents in a single day were the other driver’s fault, said Craig Bargfrede, the state’s winter operations administrator.
—Jeff McMurray, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2026
The fault lay with Orbitz’s inaccurate listing.
—Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Verb
Thus, from fault to fault, from void to void, humans levitate.
—Elinore Weil, Artforum, 4 Mar. 2026
Johnson, in turn, faulted Allred for supporting the Laken Riley Act, which requires federal detention of certain migrants accused of crimes, such as theft or burglary.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fault
Cite this Entry
“Fault.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fault. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fault
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a weakness in character : failing
b
: a physical or mental flaw
2
a
: a wrongful act
3
: responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
it's all my fault
4
: a break in the earth's crust accompanied by a displacement of rock masses parallel to the break
faultless
adjective
-ləs
faultlessly
adverb
faultlessness
noun
fault
2 of 2 verb1
: to fracture so as to produce a geologic fault
2
: to find a fault in
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