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Is it human to err?
Many people are familiar with the word err from encountering it in the epigram “to err is human; to forgive, divine.” This phrase is found in Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism, from 1711. Earlier expressions of the same sentiment exist, as in Thomas Jones’ 1678 book, Of the Heart, and its Right Soveraign, which contains the line “to err, is human, to recover, is Angelical; to persevere is Diabolical.”
Err is also often found in the phrase err on the side of caution, to suggest that being overly cautious is better than not being cautious enough.
Err stems from the Latin word errare, meaning “to stray, wander,” and it retained that meaning when it first entered English. We find the same Latin ancestor at the root of the words error, erratic, and erroneous.
Examples of err in a Sentence
Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 15 Oct. 2025
White’s legal team challenged it, and in late 2022 an appeals court ruled that the judge had erred in not letting White withdraw his guilty plea.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
In her petition to the high court, Loomer argued that the appeals court erred.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025
Her more recent everyday manis have erred on the more modest side, extending just past her fingertips.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for err
Cite this Entry
“Err.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/err. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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err
intransitive verb
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