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
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
Medora Lee, USA Today, 1 May 2025
Video of flames at the base of an Edison transmission tower in Eaton Canyon on the night the fire began raised suspicions that the utility’s equipment was at fault.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2025
In the 1935 ruling, the court upheld for-cause removal protections for Federal Trade Commission members, faulting Roosevelt's firing of a commissioner for policy differences.
—John Kruzel, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fault
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Some possible scenarios include: The Department of Justice: If criminal activity occurred, and Evolve is found at fault, then the DOJ could force it to pay.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 1 May 2025
Video of flames at the base of an Edison transmission tower in Eaton Canyon on the night the fire began raised suspicions that the utility’s equipment was at fault.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
And now, the family is suing the producers and distributors of the documentary, including Disney and National Geographic, faulting them for the slaying.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2025
In the 1935 ruling, the court upheld for-cause removal protections for Federal Trade Commission members, faulting Roosevelt's firing of a commissioner for policy differences.
—John Kruzel, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fault
Cite this Entry
“Fault.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fault. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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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