as in scar
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
the statue has a slight defect on the base, so it's being sold at a discount
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defect
Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026
Sixty-year-old Earl Jones was born with a congenital heart defect.
—Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Allison Palmer
updated February 19, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
Yasmin, Tender’s briefly installed head of communications, is the first of Whitney’s flunkies to defect.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defect
Noun
In 2022, a post shared on his Instagram account informed fans he had been hospitalized after a cardiac incident and had been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026
Sixty-year-old Earl Jones was born with a congenital heart defect.
—Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
InterNACHI’s moisture intrusion guidance emphasizes inspecting likely defect areas and moisture pathways, with grading and gutter/downspout configurations frequently identified as the culprits.
—Allison Palmer
updated February 19, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
Yasmin, Tender’s briefly installed head of communications, is the first of Whitney’s flunkies to defect.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defect
Noun
-
One picture shows him with an oxygen mask, another his torso full of scars.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
-
As approximately 96% of adult manatees bear scars from watercraft strikes, this remains a serious issue for the species.—
Elizabeth Neville,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nearly 80% of your citizens intend to emigrate.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Baseball has a long way to go to be a widespread pastime in Italy, but manager Francisco Cervelli, a Venezuelan whose father emigrated from Italy, is committed to the cause.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Early salt damage often appears as pale, chalky blotches or uneven fading in the paint finish.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Her zapping turns her entire head of hair — not just a streak — shocking white à la Jean Harlow, and leaves an oddly-appealing black blotch on her cheek.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nearly 100,000 visitors pilgrimage to the area annually to witness a forest canopy cloaked in orange-and-black wings.—
Jen Murphy,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Several hundred of them pilgrimage to Arizona each February for the I Heart Pluto Festival.—
David Allan,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When problems come up at school — like the program turning Oakley down for speech therapy, or someone taking her headphones away — Harris doesn’t see that as any one person’s fault, but rather as proof of problems in an entire system.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
-
What happened was not your cousin’s fault; the fault lies with her grandstanding brother.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first human to voyage into space just a month before, with American astronaut Alan Shepard close on his heels.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Ahead of the week’s worst heat, some Bay Area residents voyaged outside to enjoy the sun and unseasonably balmy conditions.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In December 2023, the FDA issued a warning about the dangers of fat-dissolving injections after many reports of severe side effects, including permanent scars, serious infections, skin deformities, cysts, and deep, painful knots.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Investigators documented animals with health concerns including overgrown hooves, draining abscesses and limb deformities.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Agents trekked through muddy terrain in the dark and eventually found Medina curled up in a ball next to a tree.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Rugged terrain dots the area where the crash took place, prompting search crews to be flown in along with trekking in on foot.—
Cecilio Padilla,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defect. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
