defects

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of defect.

   Inspectors logged dozens of defects before approving the bridge for traffic.

   Genetic defects of this kind often go undetected until adulthood.

   Note

   One spelling, two jobs: as a noun it counts faults, while the verb form reports someone switching sides. In the plural, each fault is counted separately, which is why inspectors and clinicians speak of manufacturing defects or congenital defects. The noun's quieter meanings, the amount by which something falls short or the part a figure lacks, also take this plural.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of defect.

   Whenever a senior official defects, the government scrambles to contain the fallout.

   The novel follows a soldier who defects to the enemy and regrets it.

   Note

   Here the word is about loyalty changing hands, in the present with a singular subject: she defects, a general defects. It takes no direct object, so the side left or joined arrives in a prepositional phrase, as in defects from the party or defects to the enemy. The base form is defect and the past is defected. For the noun that shares this spelling, see the plural of "fault".

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