as in negligence
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action
a default in the repayment of a bank loan
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Recent Examples of default
Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
Loan rehabilitation, which can only be done once, is handled through a loan servicer; once a person repays for nine months straight, they are taken out of default.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
To be on the safe side, many businesses just default to keeping everything indefinitely, even when there is no specific requirement to do so.
—Carl D'halluin, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for default
Noun
That came after an August 2024 ruling by another federal court that Google has a monopoly in internet search and that the company broke the law by inking multibillion-dollar deals to make its search engine the default on browsers and smartphones including devices from Apple and Samsung.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
Loan rehabilitation, which can only be done once, is handled through a loan servicer; once a person repays for nine months straight, they are taken out of default.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
The French government required the country to borrow 30 million francs from French banks to make the first two payments, and Haiti soon defaulted.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
To be on the safe side, many businesses just default to keeping everything indefinitely, even when there is no specific requirement to do so.
—Carl D'halluin, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for default
Recent Examples of Synonyms for default
Noun
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Reasonable limits on liability • Exclusions for gross negligence or willful misconduct Tip: Always read these clauses carefully and ask your attorney to explain them in plain English.—
Stephen Nalley,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
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In a more extreme case, an 81-year-old hunter was deemed liable for negligence after accidentally shooting someone while out pheasant hunting in South Windsor in 2023.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
6 May 2025
Verb
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Soviet citizens in the 1980s could no longer ignore the glaring differences between the utopian promises of communism and the reality of an autocratic and incompetent regime.—
Margaret MacMillan,
The Atlantic,
30 Apr. 2025
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Yet in a nation where 42 percent of adults live with obesity—a rate that has nearly doubled since the 1980s—the arrival of a drug that actually works was hard to ignore.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The fraud on his watch represents one of the greatest failures of a public official in the state’s history.—
Jim Schultz,
National Review,
1 May 2025
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Eighty years since the end of World War II, Amsterdam’s mayor apologized for the city’s role in the persecution of its Jewish residents during the Holocaust, in a rare acknowledgment of a collective moral failure by a city leader.—
Anupreeta Das,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Verb
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There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order.—
Mike Scarcella,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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Some believe Trump/Musk disregard the constitution and due process.—
Pomerado News,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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After years of neglect and mismanagement that allowed the building to fall into disrepair, the Mayfair’s new owner has invested or raised millions of dollars to make improvements in the building.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2025
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Police in Ogden, Utah, along with Ogden Animal Services officers responded to a residence in the 3000 block of Jefferson Avenue after receiving a report of possible animal neglect, according to an Ogden City Police Department press release.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Recent citywide crime The number of offenses reported for the most recent two weeks (after omitting the most recent week of available data to control for reporting lags) compared with the number reported for the two weeks before that.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
1 May 2025
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Russian state media has deliberately omitted U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of its leader from its coverage, according to an independent Russian investigative outlet.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Aaron Rodgers slipped down to the 25th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft and was passed over by the 49ers for Alex Smith.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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On Thursday, he was shut out of the first round completely, passed over by all 32 teams.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Was slighting the defense to improve the offense worth risking a miss on several top defensive prospects?—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2025
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Some in Buenos Aires felt slighted by Francis’ avoidance of Argentina.—
Almudena Calatrava and Isabel Debre,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Default.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/default. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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