as in scar
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
the statue has a slight defect on the base, so it's being sold at a discount
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defect
Jonel Aleccia, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
The 10-year-old from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, underwent open heart surgery at Nemours for a congenital heart defect in 2020.
—Pat Gallen, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
John Calabrese, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2026
InterNACHI’s moisture intrusion guidance emphasizes inspecting likely defect areas and moisture pathways, with grading and gutter/downspout configurations frequently identified as the culprits.
—Allison Palmer
updated February 19, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defect
Noun
Higher rates among Latinas Nationwide, Latinas have the highest rates of fetuses having those defects.
—Jonel Aleccia, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
The 10-year-old from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, underwent open heart surgery at Nemours for a congenital heart defect in 2020.
—Pat Gallen, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
Several Kurdish groups have released public statements hinting at imminent action and urging Iranian military forces to defect.
—John Calabrese, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2026
InterNACHI’s moisture intrusion guidance emphasizes inspecting likely defect areas and moisture pathways, with grading and gutter/downspout configurations frequently identified as the culprits.
—Allison Palmer
updated February 19, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defect
Noun
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Later, Bey worried her C-section scar might be infected.—
Laura Ungar,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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The recent scars of Hezbollah's activities were all too visible.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Matwick, whose great-grandparents emigrated from central Italy to Pennsylvania, is part of the vast Italian diaspora.—
Julia Buckley,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
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Many of Mexico's Mennonites emigrated from Russia to Canada, and then Mexico, in the 1920s.—
Katie Silver,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Early salt damage often appears as pale, chalky blotches or uneven fading in the paint finish.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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Her zapping turns her entire head of hair — not just a streak — shocking white à la Jean Harlow, and leaves an oddly-appealing black blotch on her cheek.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nearly 100,000 visitors pilgrimage to the area annually to witness a forest canopy cloaked in orange-and-black wings.—
Jen Murphy,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
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Several hundred of them pilgrimage to Arizona each February for the I Heart Pluto Festival.—
David Allan,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When problems come up at school — like the program turning Oakley down for speech therapy, or someone taking her headphones away — Harris doesn’t see that as any one person’s fault, but rather as proof of problems in an entire system.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
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What happened was not your cousin’s fault; the fault lies with her grandstanding brother.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first human to voyage into space just a month before, with American astronaut Alan Shepard close on his heels.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
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Ahead of the week’s worst heat, some Bay Area residents voyaged outside to enjoy the sun and unseasonably balmy conditions.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Born with a club foot and a deformity to his right ear, Meyers — who also contracted polio as a child — found solace in music.—
Hector Saldana,
San Antonio Express-News,
9 Mar. 2026
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In December 2023, the FDA issued a warning about the dangers of fat-dissolving injections after many reports of severe side effects, including permanent scars, serious infections, skin deformities, cysts, and deep, painful knots.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Instead, Sauer embarked on his own hero’s journey, trekking to that rural corner to see what was happening firsthand.—
Mark Ellwood,
Robb Report,
31 Mar. 2026
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Her owner, a woman in her twenties, had fallen down a 180-foot waterfall on March 17 while trekking through challenging terrain near the small town of Hokitika.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defect. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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