defect

noun

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de·fect | \ ˈdē-ˌfekt

, di-ˈfekt

Definition of defect

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an imperfection or abnormality that impairs quality, function, or utility : shortcoming, flaw carefully inspect a tire for defects examined the porcelain for defects a moral defect in his nature neural tube defects defects of metabolism

2 chemistry : an imperfection (such as a vacancy or an unlike atom) in a crystal lattice (see lattice sense 2)

defect

verb

de·fect | \ di-ˈfekt

defected; defecting; defects

Definition of defect (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to forsake one cause, party, or nation for another often because of a change in ideology a former KGB agent who defected to America

2 : to leave one situation (such as a job) often to go over to a rival the reporter defected to another network

Other Words from defect Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About defect

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Examples of defect in a Sentence

Noun They examine their products for defects. She was born with a heart defect. Vanity and pride were his two worst character defects. Verb The Russian scholar defected in 1979. She defected from the conservative party. He defected to the West before the war began. The reporter defected to another TV network.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Most Bay Area construction defect lawsuits involve waterproofing — podium decks, often with swimming pools and landscaped terraces, typically leak into the parking garage or units below. — J.k. Dineen, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 July 2021 The order points out that courts have determined that a manufacturer might be held liable for foreseeable risk that NHTSA could deem a safety defect. — Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2021 Gregg Schlesinger, a former construction project engineer who is now a lawyer handling construction defect cases, said another area of concern in the report is cracks that were discovered in the tower’s stucco facade. — chicagotribune.com, 26 June 2021 And, unlike competing solutions that use simple anomaly detection, Visual Inspection AI’s deep learning allows customers to train models that detect, classify, and precisely locate multiple defect types in a single image. — Janakiram Msv, Forbes, 24 June 2021 The toddler also had a stomach defect repaired and a small bowel resection, which resulted in close to 3 feet of his small intestines getting removed, the fundraiser stated. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, 17 June 2021 But photos of the rubble suggest to engineers that the welds were done poorly, a serious construction defect. — New York Times, 13 June 2021 Those tests revealed a bicuspid aortic valve defect. — Mark Craig, Star Tribune, 29 May 2021 The prognosis on Franklin Perez’s right shoulder capsule defect is not as promising. — Dana Gauruder, Detroit Free Press, 4 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb If a voter makes a mistake, like forgetting to sign a mail ballot certificate or omitting residency information, or if workers question the voter's signature, then a voter may fix that defect to ensure their ballot counts. — Adam Brewster, CBS News, 9 July 2021 Bennett buttressed support for his coalition when a member of his own Yamina party, considered one of those most likely to defect and scuttle the nascent government, pledged his support on Tuesday. — Oren Liebermann, CNN, 12 June 2021 One protest urged Orbach to defect and possibly sink the coalition, while a separate protest encouraged him to support the coalition and oust Netanyahu. — Oren Liebermann, CNN, 7 June 2021 Boko Haram fighters may defect to ISWAP, creating more unity between the militants. — Washington Post, 21 May 2021 That means there's still time for Netanyahu and his allies to convince members of parliament to defect from the coalition, or somehow tie things up procedurally in parliament. — Rob Picheta, CNN, 4 June 2021 In the coming days, Netanyahu is expected to continue to put pressure on hard-liners in the emerging coalition to defect and join his religious and nationalist allies. — Time, 3 June 2021 Some forces are also taken prisoner and others defect. — New York Times, 28 Apr. 2021 About 1,000 North Koreans defect to South Korea every year, according to tallies made public by Seoul’s Unification Ministry, which oversees North Korea policies. — Andrew Jeong, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'defect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for defect

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Latin dēfectus "failure, absence, lack, weakness," from dēficere "to be lacking, run short, weaken, fail" + -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at deficient

Verb

borrowed from Latin dēfectus, past participle of dēficere "to be lacking, fail, become disaffected, go over (to the side of an opponent)" — more at deficient

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