error

noun

er·​ror ˈer-ər 

ˈe-rər

1

a

: an act or condition of ignorant or imprudent deviation from a code of behavior

b

: an act involving an unintentional deviation from truth or accuracy

made an error in adding up the bill

c

: an act that through ignorance, deficiency, or accident departs from or fails to achieve what should be done

an error in judgment

: such as

(1)

: a defensive misplay other than a wild pitch or passed ball made by a baseball player when normal play would have resulted in an out or prevented an advance by a base runner

(2)

: the failure of a player (as in tennis) to make a successful return of a ball during play

d

: a mistake in the proceedings of a court of record in matters of law or of fact

2

a

: the quality or state of erring

the map is in error

b

Christian Science : illusion about the nature of reality that is the cause of human suffering : the contradiction of truth

c

: an instance of false belief

3

: something produced by mistake

a typographical error

especially : a postage stamp exhibiting a consistent flaw (such as a wrong color) in its manufacture

4

a

: the difference between an observed or calculated value and a true value

specifically : variation in measurements, calculations, or observations of a quantity due to mistakes or to uncontrollable factors

b

: the amount of deviation from a standard or specification

5

: a deficiency or imperfection in structure or function

an error of metabolism

errorless

ˈer-ər-ləs 

ˈe-rər-

adjective

Synonyms

• blunder
• bobble
• boob [British]
• boo-boo
• brick
• clanger [British]
• clinker
• fault
• flub
• fluff
• fumble
• gaff
• gaffe
• goof
• inaccuracy
• lapse
• miscue
• misstep
• mistake
• oversight
• screwup
• slip
• slipup
• stumble
• trip

Choose the Right Synonym for error

error, mistake, blunder, slip, lapse mean a departure from what is true, right, or proper.

error suggests the existence of a standard or guide and a straying from the right course through failure to make effective use of this.

procedural errors

mistake implies misconception or inadvertence and usually expresses less criticism than error.

dialed the wrong number by mistake

blunder regularly imputes stupidity or ignorance as a cause and connotes some degree of blame.

diplomatic blunders

slip stresses inadvertence or accident and applies especially to trivial but embarrassing mistakes.

a slip of the tongue

lapse stresses forgetfulness, weakness, or inattention as a cause.

a lapse in judgment

Examples of error in a Sentence

I made an error in my calculations.

They uncovered several errors in his report to the committee.

The paper contains numerous spelling errors.

horrifying cases of hospital error

The shortstop was charged with an error.

Recent Examples on the Web

After boughs from Birnam Wood descend on Dunsinane, Macbeth is felled as much by an error in interpretation as by his rival’s sword. —Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024

Lucy Sherburne reached on an error and scored on a single by Ashley Wood. —Jim Lindgren, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024

The outage appeared to have started around 4AM ET, with sites returning a 520 error from Cloudflare, which powers Unpkg. —Emma Roth, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024

The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 4 percentage points. —Phil Galewitz, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024

According to a letter addressed to Ford from the NHTSA, the error impacted about 42,652 (or 1%) of the SUVs produced in 2022 and 2023. —USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024

In each case, the pollster, Mark It Red, surveyed likely Republican voters over a three-day period, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. —The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024

The only run came in the top of the sixth inning when there was an error, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly by John Calmette. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Atos is seeking 1 billion euros in new funding and plans to cut the company’s current debt pile by at least half, Bloomberg reports, as pressure mounts after a series of blunders including supply chain constraints and accounting errors led to a 97% drop in Atos’ shares over the past seven years. —John Kell, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English errour, from Anglo-French, from Latin error, from errare

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing error

• error in judgment
• standard error
• error bar
• error message
• human error
• systematic error
• in error
• trial and error
• type II error
• typographical error
• type I error
• the error of one's ways
• writ of error

Kids Definition

error

noun

er·​ror ˈer-ər 

1

a

: departure from a code of behavior

the error of their ways

b

: an unintentional departure from truth, accuracy, or a goal

made an error in my adding

c

: a misplay made by a fielder in baseball

2

: the quality or state of erring

3

: a false belief or a set of false beliefs

4

: something produced by mistake

5

: the difference between an observed or calculated value and a true value

especially : variation in measurements, calculations, or observations of a quantity as a result of mistakes or uncontrollable conditions

6

: the amount of error

errorless

-ləs 

adjective

Medical Definition

error

noun

er·​ror ˈer-ər 

: a deficiency or imperfection in structure or function

inborn errors of metabolism

Legal Definition

error

noun

er·​ror

: an act that through ignorance, deficiency, or accident departs from or fails to achieve what should be done

procedural errors

especially : a mistake made by a lower court in conducting judicial proceedings or making findings in a case

to compel to conclusion that a manifest error has been done

—Moses v. Burgin, 445 F.2d 369 (1971)

—often used without an article

had been error to give the jury special interrogatories

—K. A. Cohen

; see also assignment of error, clearly erroneous

Note: Generally a party must object to an error at trial in order to raise it as an issue on appeal.

— clear error

: an error made by a judge in his or her findings of fact which is such that it leaves the reviewing court with the firm and definite conviction that a mistake has been made

Note: A clear error may or may not warrant reversal.

— fundamental error

: plain error in this entry —used especially in criminal cases

— harmless error

: an error that does not affect a substantial right or change the outcome of a trial and does not warrant reversal or other modification of the lower court's decision on appeal

— invited error

: an error resulting from a party's own request for or encouragement of an action by the court

Note: A party may not seek relief based on invited error that he or she has induced.

— manifest error

: an error that is obvious and indisputable and that warrants reversal on appeal

— plain error

: an obvious and prejudicial error that affects the substantial rights of the parties and that results or probably results in a miscarriage of justice

Note: Plain error warrants reversal on appeal even in the absence of objection to the error at trial.

— prejudicial error

: an error that affects or presumptively affects the outcome of a trial

— reversible error

: a substantial and prejudicial error warranting reversal on appeal