default

1 of 2

noun

de·​fault di-ˈfȯlt 

dē-;

ˈdē-ˌfȯlt

1

: failure to do something required by duty or law : neglect

2

archaic : fault

3

economics : a failure to pay financial debts

was in default on her loan

mortgage defaults

4

a

law : failure to appear at the required time in a legal proceeding

The defendant is in default.

b

: failure to compete in or to finish an appointed contest

lost the game by default

5

a

: a selection made usually automatically or without active consideration due to lack of a viable alternative

remained the club's president by default

the default candidate

b

computers : a selection automatically used by a program in the absence of a choice made by the user

using the default settings

default

2 of 2

verb

defaulted; defaulting; defaults

intransitive verb

1

: to fail to fulfill a contract, agreement, or duty: such as

a

: to fail to meet a financial obligation

default on a loan

b

law : to fail to appear in court

c

: to fail to compete in or to finish an appointed contest

also : to forfeit a contest by such failure

2

computers : to make a selection automatically in the absence of a choice made by the user

The program defaults to a standard font.

transitive verb

1

: to fail to perform, pay, or make good

default a loan

2

a

: forfeit

defaulted the game

b

: to exclude (a player or a team) from a contest by default

was defaulted from the tournament

defaulter noun

Phrases

in default of

: in the absence of

Synonyms

Noun

• delinquency
• dereliction
• failure
• misprision
• neglect
• negligence
• nonfeasance
• oversight

Examples of default in a Sentence

Noun

The defendant has made no appearance in the case and is in default.

You can enter your own settings or use the defaults.

Which font is the default in that computer program?

Verb

If the borrower defaults, the bank can take the house.

The program defaults to a standard font.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

By default, voice transcripts can be collected by third parties and shared with advertising partners. —Lauren Krouse, Good Housekeeping, 8 Sep. 2023

The app’s other existing teen safety measures include prohibiting young users from having public profiles and having teens’ Snap Map location-sharing tool turned off by default. —Clare Duffy, CNN, 7 Sep. 2023

Google has said that its deals with Apple and others were not exclusive and that consumers could alter the default settings on their devices to choose alternative search engines. —Cecilia Kang, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2023

The Washington Post 5 Country Garden makes late interest payment to avoid default Chinese real estate giant Country Garden has met a deadline to make an overdue interest payment, avoiding a default on its debt, several news outlets reported Tuesday, citing people close to the company. —Harold Maass, The Week, 5 Sep. 2023

One of the primary reasons BHPH lenders install tracking devices is to reduce the risk of default. —Ashley Donohoe, Car and Driver, 5 Sep. 2023

The era of credit default swaps and long/short mismatches of maturities had not yet infiltrated Bedford Falls. —Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2023

Despite several postponements, this restart part of a debt ceiling bill Congress approved in June to avoid default. —Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 2 Sep. 2023

But those who were in default need to take certain steps to do so — and complete them before next September to keep their loans out of default for the long term, The Times said. —Robert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Sep. 2023

Verb

Meanwhile, the real estate market is in crisis with home prices dropping and some big developers have defaulted. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Sep. 2023

The company got a three-year extension this year on a mortgage loan for one of its landmark properties, the DuMont Building, a 42-story Art Deco tower at 515 Madison Avenue, after defaulting on a $103 million loan for the property. —Emma Goldberg Haruka Sakaguchi, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2023

Dealing with the country's debt was essential to prevent the United States from defaulting on its debt for the first time ever — and avoid triggering a recession. —Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 1 Sep. 2023

The pandemic was yet another major setback for the neighborhood, as office tenants abandoned their leases and another major mall defaulted on its mortgage. —Trisha Thadani, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2023

Once the country’s largest private-sector developer by sales, the company is in danger of defaulting amid an industry cash crunch. —Justin Sink, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2023

Many of the schools the group represents are for-profit colleges, whose students are disproportionately likely to default on student loans. —Harold Maass, The Week, 8 Aug. 2023

That’s because, at the time, the province defaulted legal parentage to the person who gave birth to the child, so becoming the legal parents could be complicated if the child was born there. —Hazlitt, 30 Aug. 2023

Seven unrated hospitals have defaulted this year, according to Bloomberg data, in a combination of failures to pay and violations of borrowing agreements known as covenants. —Bloomberg Wire, Dallas News, 30 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English defaute, defaulte, from Anglo-French, from defaillir to be lacking, fail, from de- + faillir to fail

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

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

Phrases Containing default

• in default
• in default of

• in default
• in default of

Kids Definition

default

1 of 2 noun

de·​fault di-ˈfȯlt 

1

: failure to take action

lost a great opportunity by default

a decision made by default, not by deciding

2

: failure to do something required (as make a payment or appear in court)

in default on a loan

lost a court case by default

3

: a selection to be made automatically according to a computer program when the user does not specify a choice

default

2 of 2 verb

: to fail to carry out a contract, obligation, or duty

defaulter noun

Legal Definition

default

noun

de·​fault di-ˈfȯlt, ˈdē-ˌfȯlt 

1

: failure to do something required by duty (as under a contract or by law): as

a

: failure to comply with the terms of a loan agreement or security agreement especially with regard to payment of the debt

b

in the civil law of Louisiana : a delay in performing under a contract that is recognized by the other party

Note: A party whose performance under a contract is delayed is not automatically in default. Rather, the law of Louisiana requires that the other party “put him or her in default” by a written or witnessed oral request for performance, by filing suit, or by invoking a specific provision in the contract. Moratory damages may be recoverable for loss caused by the delay.

2

: failure to defend against a claim in court (as by failing to file pleadings or to appear in court) see also default judgment at judgment sense 1a

default verb

defaulter noun

Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French defalte defaute lack, fault, failure to answer a summons, from defaillir to be lacking, fail, from de-, intensive prefix + faillir to fail