1
as in weakness
a defect in character
the common fault of being quick to judge others
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
there's a fault somewhere in the program
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in blame
responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
getting the time of the performance wrong was entirely my fault
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in defect
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
the minor faults in the leather are entirely natural and are what gives it a look different from vinyl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in responsibility
the state of being held as the cause of something that needs to be set right
the investigator determined that the auto accident was entirely the other driver's fault
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to blame
to express one's unfavorable opinion of the worth or quality of
you should look at your own work before faulting what others have done
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fault
Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Anatomy of the jaw The tongue obstructing airflow is not always the fault of the tongue itself.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2025
Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
As the government shutdown began, polls showed voters were divided on who to blame, with many faulting both parties.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fault
Noun
The truck company claimed to TMZ that its driver was not at fault.
—Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Anatomy of the jaw The tongue obstructing airflow is not always the fault of the tongue itself.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Parolin also faulted global powers for their paralysis.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
As the government shutdown began, polls showed voters were divided on who to blame, with many faulting both parties.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fault
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fault
Noun
-
That humility will always prevail over ego, kindness isn’t a form of weakness, and true happiness isn’t measured by what’s in your bank account or even by the empty rows of your refrigerator.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
-
How does the relative length of our haunting reflect our collective moral strengths and weaknesses?—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The 49ers also made a big mistake in fielding just 10 players on the very play on which Warner was injured.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Conservative activists have spent the past forty-six years arguing that this was a terrible mistake.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Miller argues that universities are breeding grounds for ideological intolerance, laying blame on Marxist ideas.—
Mitch Picasso , Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
18 Oct. 2025
-
When asked about his final interception, Beck appeared to place blame on a teammate for running the wrong route, rather than taking full responsibility himself.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The deficiency was caused due to defects in the Pdha2 gene.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Meanwhile, Congress fiddles while structural defects in Medicare and Social Security threaten to engulf the programs.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Milne joined the network in 2019 as managing editor of CBS This Morning, and took on additional responsibilities, like breaking news, the following year.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Sponsors assume no responsibility for any error, omissions, interruption, deletion, defect or delay in operation with transmission, communications, line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or allegation of submissions.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Since leaving the British royal family in 2020 and stepping down from their roles as senior members of The Firm, Harry and Meghan have faced backlash for their media ventures and transition into Hollywood, with many criticizing the couple’s lack of views on their Netflix content.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Beijing has long criticized Washington for exerting control beyond its borders through export rules that bar third-country companies from supplying China with chips made using American technology.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As was Matthiessen’s self-awareness about his own moral failings.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
-
So [in the film], there’s this sort of notion that, if a movie star kind of represents us in all our failings and humanity, what does that mean exactly?—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There aren’t any obvious errors that can be laid at Darlow’s door over the past four matches.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Sponsors assume no responsibility for any error, omissions, interruption, deletion, defect or delay in operation with transmission, communications, line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or allegation of submissions.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fault.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fault. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share