default
Pluraldefaults
Verbdefaults, defaulting, defaulted
Pluraldefaults
Formsdefaults, defaulting, defaulted
- 1A value that is used automatically when you do not choose one.
Like the plain meal you get if you do not ask for anything special.
The form uses zero as the default if you leave the box empty.
When no color is chosen, the default is plain white.
Similarpreset
Note
- 2The state of not paying back money that you owe.
Like promising to give back a borrowed book and then never returning it.
The company went into default after missing three payments.
Falling behind on the loan put them at risk of default.
Similarnonpayment, delinquency
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- 3The choice that is made for you when you do not pick one.
Like always taking the same seat because no one tells you where to sit.
Most people just accept the default and never change their settings.
Saying nothing became the default for the whole group.
Similarfallback
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- 4To fail to pay back money that you owe.
Like agreeing to pay for something in parts, then stopping the payments.
If you default, the bank may take your house.
Many borrowers defaulted during the financial crisis.
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- 5The original settings that come built in from the factory.
Like a game that starts fresh, just as it was when you first opened the box.
Press and hold the button to return the phone to its default.
Resetting to the default erased all his custom options.
Note
- 6To use a set value automatically when no other one is given.
Like a clock that goes back to 12:00 when the power comes back on.
If you leave the field blank, the app will default to zero.
The printer defaults to black and white.
Similarrevert
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- 7A loss that happens because a team or player does not take part.
Like losing a race because you never showed up to run it.
The injured player had to accept a default rather than finish the game.
Their absence turned the whole match into a default.
Similarforfeit
- 8To lose a game or contest because you do not take part.
Like giving up a race just by not turning up at the start line.
If you don't arrive on time, you default.
Two runners defaulted when they missed the start.
Similarforfeit
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- 9When someone who is sued does not come to court to answer.
Like losing an argument because you never showed up to give your side.
Because he never came to court, the judge entered a default.
Missing the hearing led to a default against her.
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- 10To not come to court to answer a legal claim against you.
Like being marked absent and getting a zero because you skipped the test.
If you default, the court can decide the case without you.
She defaulted by ignoring every notice the court sent.
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- 11The state of a debt that has not been paid.
Like a chore that stays undone long after it should have been finished.
The loan stayed in default for over a year.
Once a payment is missed, the account can fall into default.
Similararrears, delinquency
Less common meanings
- 12A failure to do something that you should have done.
Like forgetting to lock the door you were told to lock.
His default in keeping watch let the enemy slip past the gate.
The steward was punished for his default in guarding the stores.
Note
- 13A lack or absence of something.
Like a fire going out because there is no more wood to burn.
For default of bread, the villagers ate roots all winter.
one was dragging a great coat from the window, before which it had long hung as a blind, in total default of glass or shutters
1820, [Charles Robert Maturin], Melmoth the Wanderer: A Tale.Here, default means a lack, so there was no glass or shutters at all.Note
- 14A fault or wrong act that someone has done.
regardless of our merit or default
1728, [Alexander Pope], The DunciadHere, default means a fault or wrong act that someone is to blame for.Note
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Old French defaute meaning "fault" or "lack", which came from Latin words meaning "away" and "deceive".