err

verb

ˈer  ˈər 

erred; erring; errs

intransitive verb

1

a

: to make a mistake

erred in his calculations

erred on the side of caution

b

: to violate an accepted standard of conduct

2

archaic : stray

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms of err

• stumble
• fumble
• trip
• blunder

Examples of err in a Sentence

I may have erred in my calculations.

The court erred in refusing to allow bail.

Recent Examples on the Web

Some people may never feel the effects, but flight attendants who’ve seen the tanks up close tend to err on the side of caution. —Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 7 June 2026

Given that Claude’s constitution dictates that Claude err on the side of corrigibility, the answer is no. —Ted Chiang, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026

An error on a double-play ball right after put two on with nobody out, and another sacrifice bunt was erred on to score two more. —Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026

Hints of light toffee and honey tones give this espresso-brown base a more dimensional and lively look without erring on too much contrast. —Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 2 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English erren "to wander, roam, deviate from righteousness or truth, make a mistake," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French errer "to hold mistaken beliefs, make a mistake," going back to Latin errāre "to wander, roam, drift, be in doubt or uncertainty, act in error, be mistaken," going back to pre-Latin *ers-āje-, going back to Indo-European *h₁ers-ah₂i̯e/o- (whence also Armenian eṙam "am restless, seethe"), presumably denominal from *h₁ers-o- or *h₁ers-ah₂; also from this base a series of derivatives in Germanic, as Old English ierre, eorre "gone astray, perverted, enraged," iersian "to be angry, rage," Old Saxon irre "misguided, angry," irron "to roam about," Old High German irri "wandering, confused,' irren "to lead astray," Gothic airzeis "deceived, in error," airzjan "to mislead"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing err

• err on the side of
• err on the side of caution
• to err is human

Rhymes for err

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• eyre
• fair
• fare

Kids Definition

err

verb

ˈe(ə)r  ˈər 

1

: to make a mistake

erred in my calculations

2

: to do wrong : sin

Legal Definition

err

intransitive verb

ˈer, ˈər 

: to make an error

the court erred in denying the motion