1a. A character weakness, especially a minor one. b. Something that impairs or detracts from physical perfection; a defect. See synonyms at blemish. c. A mistake; an error. d. A minor offense or misdeed. 2. Responsibility for a mistake or an offense; culpability. See synonyms at blame. 3.Geology A fracture in the continuity of a rock formation caused by a shifting or dislodging of the earth's crust, in which adjacent surfaces are displaced relative to one another and parallel to the plane of fracture. Also called shift. 4.Electronics A defect in a circuit or wiring caused by imperfect connections, poor insulation, grounding, or shorting. 5.Sports A bad service, as in tennis. 6.Obsolete A lack or deficiency.
VERB:
Inflected forms: fault·ed, fault·ing, faults
TRANSITIVE VERB:
1. To find error or defect in; criticize or blame. 2.Geology To produce a fault in; fracture.
INTRANSITIVE VERB:
1. To commit a mistake or an error. 2.Geology To shift so as to produce a fault.
IDIOMS:
at fault1. Deserving of blame; guilty: admitted to being at fault.2. Confused and puzzled. find fault To seek, find, and complain about faults; criticize: found fault with his speech.to a fault To an excessive degree: generous to a fault.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English faulte, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *fallita, from variant of Latin falsa, feminine past participle of fallere, to deceive, fail.
fôlt
