fault

1 of 2

noun

ˈfȯlt How to pronounce fault (audio)
 in poetry also  ˈfȯt
1
a
: weakness, failing
especially : a moral weakness less serious than a vice
He loves her despite her many faults.
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

Illustration of fault

Illustration of fault
  • 1 fault with displaced strata a b c d e
  • 2 scarp

fault

2 of 2

verb

faulted; faulting; faults

transitive verb

1
: to find a fault in
easy to praise this book and to fault itH. G. Roepke
2
: blame, censure
can't fault them for not coming
3
: to produce a geologic fault in

intransitive verb

1
: to commit a fault : err
2
: to fracture so as to produce a geologic fault
Phrases
at fault
1
: open to blame : responsible
you were really at fault
2
: unable to find the scent and continue chase
to a fault
: to an excessive degree
precise to a fault
Choose the Right Synonym for fault

fault, failing, frailty, foible, vice mean an imperfection or weakness of character.

fault implies a failure, not necessarily culpable, to reach some standard of perfection in disposition, action, or habit.

a writer of many virtues and few faults

failing suggests a minor shortcoming in character.

being late is a failing of mine

frailty implies a general or chronic proneness to yield to temptation.

human frailties

foible applies to a harmless or endearing weakness or idiosyncrasy.

an eccentric's charming foibles

vice can be a general term for any imperfection or weakness, but it often suggests violation of a moral code or the giving of offense to the moral sensibilities of others.

compulsive gambling was his vice

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
Noun
But as Christian points out, any hunter unfamiliar with the area, through no fault of their own, is likely to voice support for more hunting opportunity regardless of the circumstances. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 8 Mar. 2024 Still, Jocelyn — a 30-something in the Pacific Northwest — couldn’t shake the feeling that his abuse was her fault. Marisa Iati, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 But that, the company alleges, was someone else’s fault. Vittoria Elliott, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024 But the way to move forward is to admit your faults and frailties, and to seek to be forgiven. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024 Moreover, since there are no human drivers at fault when things go wrong, the regulation holds carmakers accountable for ALKS safety issues. Leaf Jiang, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 In the settlement, which was finalized Friday, the utility has agreed to pay the $80 million without admitting wrongdoing or fault, prosecutors said. Jason Hanna, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024 Edison did so without admitting wrongdoing or fault. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Complacent establishment Republicans, who do nothing to fix the problem, are as much at fault as Democrats. Destiny Torres, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Verb
In a campaign forum last week, Ortiz faulted the media for writing about these issues. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The defense has leaned heavily on the conclusions of the New Mexico division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which did not fault Gutierrez Reed in its report. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 Overall, in terms of versatility and ease of use, this sterilizer was hard to fault. Samson McDougall, Parents, 5 Mar. 2024 Ibarra did not attend the university and is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, his status prompting Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to publicly fault the Biden administration for its immigration policies. Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024 Still, all of this could work in Gladstone’s favor: Even those who didn’t love the movie won’t be able to fault her performance, and rewarding it while ignoring DiCaprio can be seen as a way of reprimanding the film’s own tendency to prioritize his experience over hers. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2024 Though Boeing’s design was ultimately implicated in the crashes, lawmakers also faulted the FAA for moving too slowly to ground the planes and relying too heavily on Boeing workers to complete safety reviews. Lori Aratani, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024 Rogers faulted Irvine police for not following up multiple leads to back up or refute evidence of planning the attack. City News Service, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 On cross-examination, defense attorney Todd Bullion faulted the deputies for not separating the witnesses, suggesting that may have contaminated their witness accounts. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fault.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English faute, falte, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *fallita, from feminine of fallitus, past participle of Latin fallere to deceive, disappoint

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fault was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near fault

Cite this Entry

“Fault.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fault. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fault

1 of 2 noun
1
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
-ləs
adjective
faultlessly adverb
faultlessness noun

fault

2 of 2 verb
1
: to fracture so as to produce a geologic fault
2
: to find a fault in

Legal Definition

fault

noun
1
: a usually intentional act forbidden by law
also : a usually intentional omission to do something (as to exercise due care) required by law see also negligence compare no-fault, strict liability at liability

Note: Sometimes when fault is used in legal contexts it includes negligence, sometimes it is considered synonymous with negligence, and sometimes it is distinguished from negligence. Fault and negligence are the usual bases for liability in the law of torts.

2
: responsibility for an act or omission that causes damage or injury to another
relative degrees of fault
see also comparative fault
Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French faute lack, failing, ultimately from Latin fallere to deceive, disappoint

More from Merriam-Webster on fault

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!