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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Recent Examples of defect
Emily Chan, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Look out for recalls Many vehicles get recalled by manufacturers about defects that may be found on the vehicle.
—Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Machine learning models can help predict defect hotspots or prioritize risky areas long before sending a chip to be manufactured.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defect
Noun
Another pilot program involves using AI to detect defects in the hide, again to avoid waste.
—Emily Chan, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Look out for recalls Many vehicles get recalled by manufacturers about defects that may be found on the vehicle.
—Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
They’ve been challenged in a competitive landscape as video and broadband customers defect Comcast is now trying hard to right the ship, with some promising signs in the third quarter numbers reported this morning.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Machine learning models can help predict defect hotspots or prioritize risky areas long before sending a chip to be manufactured.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defect
Noun
-
Those years left scars that never fully healed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The deep scars of prolonged conflict require time to heal, and enduring progress demands patience, tolerance, and genuine mutual understanding across all segments of Syrian society.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The older children had emigrated and were living in America, and her youngest son Löb had not learned the trade of a merchant and had no desire to do so.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Elkington, who hails from a small village near London and emigrated to the Midwest in the 1990s, brings with him a deft picking style and a grounding in European folk traditions.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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These blotches are fairly plant friendly and produce what is known as algal leaf spot.—
Brian Bell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Leaves may show blotches and mottled coloring and fruit may remain partially green and irregularly shaped.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Christmas period will also mark the official end of the Catholic Church’s jubilee year, 12 months dedicated to pilgrimage, spiritual renewal and forgiveness which takes place every 25 years.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
25 Dec. 2025
-
Advertisement Travel to the country once limited essentially to pilgrimage and business travel, opened with a tourist e-visa in 2019 and has since become an engine of jobs and investment.—
Ali Shihabi,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Dixon-Waters has always been a cerebral player, sometimes to a fault.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Jan. 2026
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If an opposing tight end or running back flares open from the slot or backfield on an in-breaking route, that wouldn’t be that linebacker’s fault.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There are lots of one-week Norwegian fjords cruises; longer voyages pair the fjords with Arctic Norway.—
Jane Archer,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Dec. 2025
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When John Wesley Powell voyaged through the Grand Canyon by boat in 1869, his expedition rested in this very spot, at the base of stone huts built by ancient Puebloans.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The genetic disorder is a connective tissue disease that leads to fragile bones and related complications like short stature, bone deformities, and fractures, per Mayo Clinic.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
-
Roots become dehydrated, and water stress causes stunting, deformities, and dieback.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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After becoming unlikely friends in college, the two make a pact to spend one-week every summer trekking around the world together as totally platonic travel companions.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
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For many years, Chicago media would trek to witness the weather predictions of our zoo weathercast creatures.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defect. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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