as in negligence
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action
a default in the repayment of a bank loan
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of default
Preston Fore, Fortune, 17 June 2026
This may be particularly effective if prosecutors also use their discretion to decline more undeserving cases up front, treating the use of taxpayer dollars on prosecution as something that requires deliberate justification rather than something that happens by default.
—Rebecca Dunlea, The Conversation, 17 June 2026
Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 6 June 2026
For the past two years, the playbook has been to default to the most powerful AI model and direct all queries through it, regardless of complexity.
—Jasmine Wu,deirdre Bosa, CNBC, 5 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for default
Noun
When Chrome launched in 2008, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was the industry dominator, with roughly 60% of global browser usage thanks to being the default on Windows computers.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 17 June 2026
This may be particularly effective if prosecutors also use their discretion to decline more undeserving cases up front, treating the use of taxpayer dollars on prosecution as something that requires deliberate justification rather than something that happens by default.
—Rebecca Dunlea, The Conversation, 17 June 2026
Verb
Teyana Taylor did not just default to a standard pair of Vans for her Essence Festival press conference.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 6 June 2026
For the past two years, the playbook has been to default to the most powerful AI model and direct all queries through it, regardless of complexity.
—Jasmine Wu,deirdre Bosa, CNBC, 5 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for default
Recent Examples of Synonyms for default
Noun
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The video of Rodrigues de Freitas falling to her death has gone viral on social media platforms, where internet users are describing her death as a surreal case of negligence.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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Sacramento County jail records Saturday morning showed Merritt was booked on suspicion of felony hit-and-run resulting in death or permanent serious injury, felony vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence and misdemeanor driving without a valid license.—
Michael McGough,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Beloved actor Ron Perlman fully leans into trying to make the contestants fail this task by forcing eye contact, asking them polite questions, rebuking their bad manners in ignoring him, and even doggedly getting into their personal space.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
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As Coley and Sonya begin arguing about a mutual attraction that’s become impossible to ignore, their dynamic finally grows some teeth.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 June 2026
Noun
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Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez also told CNN affiliate KGNS the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure before crashing.—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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After years of abject failures, underachievement or agonising near-misses, Tuchel was hired to end England’s wait for a major international men’s trophy, which now extends to 60 years.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Refs opted to disregard the blatant flagrant foul and the usually stoic Brunson erupted, chasing after the officials before turning on his heel in a fury and returning to the bench.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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Alabama ended the practice of judicial override in 2017 and no longer allows a judge to disregard a jury’s sentencing decision in death penalty cases.—
Kim Chandler,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Noun
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People with serious mental illness continue to suffer in jails repeatedly criticized for violence, neglect, isolation, staffing shortages, and inadequate mental health care.—
Justyna Rzewinski,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
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Practically overnight, Sylvia’s cozy attitude toward the girl hardens into coolness, impatience and neglect.—
Natalia Winkelman,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Even with the creative players that have been omitted, there should be enough attacking depth to rotate mid-game and conjure new energy and ideas in the final third.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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Meanwhile, Kyiv, in Kempf’s telling, has been consumed by maximalist aspirations and began negotiating only in 2024, a timeline that notably omits the 2022 talks in Turkey.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Reid, though, might be good enough for Davidson not to pass over.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2026
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For Iceland, this solar eclipse is considered especially epic since a total eclipse hasn't passed over the country since 1954, according to the Blue Lagoon, and the next one isn’t predicted to strike until 2196.—
Kristine Hansen,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2026
Verb
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For each of the murders, the four men either lured or abducted and drove the victims to the Angeles National Forest after the victims slighted the gang in different ways, according to the Justice Department.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
5 June 2026
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Romano’s sturdy book may not stint on examples of Mary’s bad behavior—including a ferociously jealous verbal assault, near the end of the war, on the wife of a prominent Union general—but the biographer keeps tilting against those who slighted Mary in even the most superficial ways.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Default.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/default. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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