: 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.
fault implies a failure, not necessarily culpable, to reach some standard of perfection in disposition, action, or habit.
a writer of many virtues and few faults
failing suggests a minor shortcoming in character.
being late is a failing of mine
frailty implies a general or chronic proneness to yield to temptation.
human frailties
foible applies to a harmless or endearing weakness or idiosyncrasy.
an eccentric's charming foibles
vice can be a general term for any imperfection or weakness, but it often suggests violation of a moral code or the giving of offense to the moral sensibilities of others.
compulsive gambling was his vice
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
Noun
Medical payments insurance: Covers medical bills for you, your passengers and any pedestrians, regardless of fault.—Ryley Amond, CNBC, 8 Aug. 2024 Workers’ compensation claims cover all workplace injuries regardless of whether the employer is at fault.—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2024
Verb
Make sure nobody can fault your grammar, spelling, and syntax with Grammarly, an app that works within your browser and on your desktop.—Brenda Stolyar Matt Jancer, WIRED, 9 Aug. 2024 The lawyer also used his final address to jurors to fault investigators for not collecting surveillance video from the area around Trone’s beauty shop, about a half-mile away.—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fault
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fault.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English faute, falte, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *fallita, from feminine of fallitus, past participle of Latin fallere to deceive, disappoint
Note:
Sometimes when fault is used in legal contexts it includes negligence, sometimes it is considered synonymous with negligence, and sometimes it is distinguished from negligence. Fault and negligence are the usual bases for liability in the law of torts.
2
: responsibility for an act or omission that causes damage or injury to another
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