Meaning of fault in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /fɔlt/

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  1. Verb

    fault

    Definitions

    1. put or pin the blame on

    Antonyms

  2. Noun

    fault

    Etymology

    Middle English faut(e) ‘lack, failing’, from Old French, based on Latin fallere‘deceive’. The -l- was added (in French and English) in the 15th century to conform with the Latin word, but did not become standard in English until the 17th century, remaining silent in pronunciation until well into the 18th

    Definitions

    1. responsibility for a bad situation or event

    Examples

    • « it was John's fault »
  3. 2. (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other

    Examples

    • « they built it right over a geological fault »
  4. 3. the quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection

    Examples

    • « they discussed the merits and demerits of her novel »
    • « he knew his own faults much better than she did »

    Antonyms

  5. 4. a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

    Examples

    • « he made a bad mistake »
    • « she was quick to point out my errors »
    • « I could understand his English in spite of his grammatical faults »
  6. 5. an imperfection in a device or machine

    Examples

    • « if there are any defects you should send it back to the manufacturer »
  7. 6. (sports) a serve that is illegal (e.g., that lands outside the prescribed area)

    Examples

    • « he served too many double faults »
  8. 7. (electronics) equipment failure attributable to some defect in a circuit (loose connection or insulation failure or short circuit etc.)

    Examples

    • « it took much longer to find the fault than to fix it »