|
| fault [ fawlt ] |
noun (plural faults) |
|
| Definition: |
| |
1. responsibility for mistake: responsibility for a mistake, failure, or act of wrongdoing
  It's his fault we're late.
|
2. personal shortcoming: a failing or character weakness in somebody
My main fault is laziness.
|
3. defect: something that detracts from the integrity, functioning, or perfection of something else
an electrical fault
|
4. mistake: an error, especially in calculation
|
5. misdemeanor: a wrongful action
|
6. geology displacement in Earth's crust: a displacement of rock layers in the Earth's crust in response to stress, accompanied by a break in the continuity of the rocks on each side of the fault line
|
7. racket games invalid serve in racket games: in racket games such as tennis, a serve that is invalid because it fails to land within a prescribed area
|
8. show jumping penalty mark in show jumping: a penalty mark awarded in show jumping for various errors such as a failure or refusal to clear a fence
|
verb (past and past participle fault·ed, present participle fault·ing, 3rd person present singular faults) |
|
| Definition: |
| |
1. transitive verb blame somebody or something: to blame, criticize, or find a flaw in somebody or something
You can't fault his results.
|
2. intransitive verb make mistake: to commit a fault or make a mistake
(
archaic
)
|
3. intransitive verb geology displace: to respond to stress by becoming displaced and developing as a geologic fault
(
refers to rock layers
)
|
| [13th century. Via Old French faut(e) "lack" < assumed Vulgar Latin fallitum "failing" < Latin fallere "fail"] |
|
find fault with somebody or something to criticize somebody or something, often unfairly
She's always finding fault with the children's work.
|
to a fault excessively
naive and generous to a fault
|
|
