1
a
: a defect in physical structure or form
a diamond with a flaw
b
: an imperfection or weakness and especially one that detracts from the whole or hinders effectiveness
vanity was the flaw in his character
a flaw in the book's plot
2
obsolete
: fragment
flawed; flawing; flaws
: to become defective
1
: a sudden brief burst of wind
the wind changed with flaws from westward—
Archibald MacLeish
Archibald MacLeish
also
: a spell of stormy weather
2
obsolete
: an outburst especially of passion
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- blemish
- blight
- blotch
- defect
- deformity
- disfigurement
- excrescence
- excrescency
- fault
- imperfection
- mar
- mark
- pockmark
- scar
Verb
Examples of flaw in a Sentence
Noun (1)
noted the flaw in the diamond before I bought it
Verb
that crack has flawed the vase to the extent that its value in the antiques market is greatly reduced
Recent Examples on the WebHarrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2024
Palantir said the Labor Department’s analysis was flawed.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 2 May 2024
Today Boeing’s leaders are tepidly admitting that this shareholders-first, cut-costs, workers-be-damned strategy was flawed.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
The study has since been shown to have been flawed.
—Maggie Fox, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
That system may be flawed, but at least enrollment in a public school doesn’t require a waiting list or depend on the largesse of a billionaire or an employer.
—Elliot Haspel, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
And, if justice is already flawed in theory, its practices and the entire criminal system contribute even less towards a restorative process in society.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Jan. 2024
Some election experts say its methodology is flawed.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Feb. 2024
In late January, a Delaware judge voided his $55.8 billion Tesla compensation package — the largest in US corporate history — after an investor claimed it was flawed by conflicts of interests and misleading disclosures by the electric car company.
—Madlin Mekelburg, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2024
Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 23 May 2024
The biopic will apparently not portray Floyd as a perfect person, but rather a father with human flaws, whose horrific death changed the world.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 22 May 2024
World & Nation Column: A lesson from Presidents Biden and Trump — the new normal is nonstop crises
May 13, 2024
In an odd way, the candidates’ expectations for the debates reflect a similarity between their campaigns: Each hopes to win mainly by persuading voters to focus on the other guy’s flaws.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024
That has fundamentally undermined the prospect of a two-state solution, which, despite its flaws, is the best way forward to respect the explicable demand by both national communities for self-determination.
—Richard English, TIME, 17 May 2024
But the movie, which hits theaters May 17, has the fatal flaw of being far more invested in Winehouse’s demons than in her talent.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 16 May 2024
Google made a lot of noise about its Gemini AI taking over search at its I/O conference today, but one of its flashiest demos was once again marked by the ever-present fatal flaw of every large language model to date: confidently making up the wrong answer.
—Nilay Patel, The Verge, 14 May 2024
There is no need to invoke religious standards to establish his character flaws.
— Paul Winston, Baltimore
Add your voice: Respond to this piece or other Sun content by submitting your own letter.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 10 May 2024
One flaw with this logic: There is a comedy on HBO that actually manages to do both, and is smart enough: Hacks.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 3 May 2024
Verb
Crain also argued the process for proposing the fee was flawed.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2024
Palantir said the Labor Department’s analysis was flawed.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 2 May 2024
Today Boeing’s leaders are tepidly admitting that this shareholders-first, cut-costs, workers-be-damned strategy was flawed.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
The study has since been shown to have been flawed.
—Maggie Fox, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
That system may be flawed, but at least enrollment in a public school doesn’t require a waiting list or depend on the largesse of a billionaire or an employer.
—Elliot Haspel, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024
And, if justice is already flawed in theory, its practices and the entire criminal system contribute even less towards a restorative process in society.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Jan. 2024
Some election experts say its methodology is flawed.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Feb. 2024
In late January, a Delaware judge voided his $55.8 billion Tesla compensation package — the largest in US corporate history — after an investor claimed it was flawed by conflicts of interests and misleading disclosures by the electric car company.
—Madlin Mekelburg, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2024
Noun
With flaws and defects, the Osprey didn’t meet government safety standards, according to a complaint filed May 23 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
—Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 23 May 2024
The biopic will apparently not portray Floyd as a perfect person, but rather a father with human flaws, whose horrific death changed the world.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 22 May 2024
World & Nation Column: A lesson from Presidents Biden and Trump — the new normal is nonstop crises
May 13, 2024
In an odd way, the candidates’ expectations for the debates reflect a similarity between their campaigns: Each hopes to win mainly by persuading voters to focus on the other guy’s flaws.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024
That has fundamentally undermined the prospect of a two-state solution, which, despite its flaws, is the best way forward to respect the explicable demand by both national communities for self-determination.
—Richard English, TIME, 17 May 2024
But the movie, which hits theaters May 17, has the fatal flaw of being far more invested in Winehouse’s demons than in her talent.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 16 May 2024
Google made a lot of noise about its Gemini AI taking over search at its I/O conference today, but one of its flashiest demos was once again marked by the ever-present fatal flaw of every large language model to date: confidently making up the wrong answer.
—Nilay Patel, The Verge, 14 May 2024
There is no need to invoke religious standards to establish his character flaws.
— Paul Winston, Baltimore
Add your voice: Respond to this piece or other Sun content by submitting your own letter.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 10 May 2024
One flaw with this logic: There is a comedy on HBO that actually manages to do both, and is smart enough: Hacks.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 3 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flaw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near flaw
Cite this Entry
“Flaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaw. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flaw
1 of 2 noun
: a small often hidden defect
flawless
adjective
-ləs
flawlessly
adverb
flawlessness
noun
flaw
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become defective
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