Illustration of fault
- 1 fault with displaced strata a b c d e
- 2 scarp
1
b
: a physical or intellectual imperfection or impairment : defect
a theory with some serious faults
c
: an error especially in service in a net or racket game
She committed too many faults to win the match.
2
: responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
the accident was the driver's fault
3
a
: mistake
The misplacement of "only" is one of the most common writing faults.
b
: misdemeanor
a small boy's faults
4
: a fracture in the crust of a planet (such as the earth) or moon accompanied by a displacement of one side of the fracture with respect to the other usually in a direction parallel to the fracture
Frequent earthquakes have occurred along the San Andreas Fault.
5
obsolete
: lack
faulted; faulting; faults
1
: to find a fault in
easy to praise this book and to fault it—
H. G. Roepke
H. G. Roepke3
: to produce a geologic fault in
Synonyms
Examples of fault in a Sentence
Noun
Lack of courage is his worst fault.
If the book has a fault, it's that it's too long.
It's your own fault you missed that bus.
Through no fault of his own, he won't be able to attend the meeting.
She committed too many faults to win the match.
Verb
The truck driver was faulted for the accident.
Many have faulted her for not acting sooner.
I can't fault him for trying to protect his family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024
The only real fault lay in the lineup’s lack of a plug-in hybrid to compete with the Audi Q5, BMW X4 and Volvo XC40.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Nov. 2024
The other driver in the April 10 Las Vegas accident, who was taken to the hospital, was faulted for failing to yield the right of way, according to the police report.
—Akash Sriram and Abhirup Roy, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fault 
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Not Stephen or Tyler, though; those guys were still at fault.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024
The only real fault lay in the lineup’s lack of a plug-in hybrid to compete with the Audi Q5, BMW X4 and Volvo XC40.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
Do not fault yourself for your process to get to progress.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Nov. 2024
The other driver in the April 10 Las Vegas accident, who was taken to the hospital, was faulted for failing to yield the right of way, according to the police report.
—Akash Sriram and Abhirup Roy, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fault
Dictionary Entries Near fault
Cite this Entry
“Fault.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fault. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fault
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a weakness in character : failing
b
: a physical or mental flaw
2
a
: a wrongful act
3
: responsibility for wrongdoing or failure
it's all my fault
4
: a break in the earth's crust accompanied by a displacement of rock masses parallel to the break
faultless
adjective
-ləs
faultlessly
adverb
faultlessness
noun
fault
2 of 2 verb1
: to fracture so as to produce a geologic fault
2
: to find a fault in
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