fault
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
How often you will meet it
Rank 1,331 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 13,766 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.007% of every word in the library.
What it means
noun
- a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention also: mistake, error he made a bad mistakeshe was quick to point out my errors
- an imperfection in an object or machine also: defect, flaw a flaw caused the crystal to shatterif there are any defects you should send it back to the manufacturer
- the quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection also: demerit they discussed the merits and demerits of her novelhe knew his own faults much better than she did
- (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other also: faulting, geological fault, shift, fracture, break they built it right over a geological faulthe studied the faulting of the earth's crust
- (electronics) equipment failure attributable to some defect in a circuit (loose connection or insulation failure or short circuit etc.) it took much longer to find the fault than to fix it
- responsibility for a bad situation or event it was John's fault
verb
- put or pin the blame on also: blame
fault in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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The fault there, sir, is not in the eyesight.
The White Devil · John Webster · Chapter 1
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Taking Mme. Favoral aside, “It is my fault,” he said.
Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1
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Graeme, however, had no fault to find with him for that.
Pearl of Pearl Island · John Oxenham · Chapter 1
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Rose, I am very sorry to say that this is certainly your fault.
Representative Plays by American Dramatists — Love in '76 · Oliver Bell Bunce · Chapter 1
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Was his ear at fault that brook and breeze Sang in their saddest of minor keys?
Pennsylvania Pilgrim, and other poems Part 6 From — Volume I · John Greenleaf Whittier · Chapter 1