Definition of 'fault'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense faults
, present participle faulting
, past tense, past participle faulted
1. singular noun [with poss]
2. countable noun
3. countable noun [oft poss NOUN]
4. verb
If you cannot fault someone, you cannot find any reason for criticizing them or the things that they are doing.
7.
See at fault
8.
9.
See to a fault
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
fault
Word Frequency
fault in British English
noun
1.
4.
responsibility for a mistake or misdeed; culpability
6. geology
a fracture in the earth's crust resulting in the relative displacement and loss of continuity of the rocks on either side of it
8.
10.
deficiency; lack; want
11. See at fault
12. See find fault
13. See to a fault
verb
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C13: from Old French faute, from Vulgar Latin fallita (unattested), ultimately from Latin fallere to fail
Word Frequency
fault in American English
(fɔlt)
noun
1.
a defect or imperfection; flaw; failing
a fault in the brakes
a fault in one's character
3.
an error or mistake
a fault in addition
5. Sport (in tennis, handball, etc.)
a.
a ball that when served does not land in the proper section of an opponent's court
b.
a failure to serve the ball according to the rules, as from within a certain area
6. Geology & Mining
a break in the continuity of a body of rock or of a vein, with dislocation along the plane of the fracture (fault plane).
7. (of a horse in an equestrian competition)
any of a number of improper executions in negotiating a jump, as a tick, knockdown, refusal, or run-out
8. Electricity
a partial or total local failure in the insulation or continuity of a conductor or in the functioning of an electric system
10. obsolete
lack; want
11. See at fault
12. See find fault
13. See to a fault
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1250–1300; ME faute ‹ AF, MF ‹ VL *fallita, n. use of fem. of *fallitus, for L falsus, ptp. of fallere to be wrong]Word Frequency
fault in Electrical Engineering
(fɔlt)
Word forms: (regular plural) faults
noun
(Electrical engineering: Semiconductor and electronic circuitry)
fault current, fault-tolerantA fault in an electrical circuit, component, or line is a defect, such as a short circuit.
In the event of a fault, the ground wire can carry enough current to blow a fuse and isolate the faulty circuit.
If the equipment has a fault and the electricity is going along the ground wire, the chances are that too much
current will flow through the fuse and so the fuse gets too hot and melts.
A fault in an electrical circuit, component, or line is a defect, such as a short circuit.
COBUILD Key Words for Electrical Engineering. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Examples of 'fault' in a sentence
fault
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Word lists with
fault
tennisQuick word challenge
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Which tennis term am I?
any return made to a ball that has touched the ground, as opposed to a volley
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a deep drive, usually hit with slice to keep the ball low, designed to enable the player to make an approach to the net
Which tennis term am I?
a marked outdoor or enclosed area used for any of various ball games, such as tennis, squash, etc
Which tennis term am I?
a game between two pairs of players, as in tennis, badminton, etc
Which tennis term am I?
a hollow rubber ball covered with felt, used in tennis
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More idioms containing
fault
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In other languages
fault
British English: fault
/fɔːlt/ NOUN
If a bad or undesirable situation is your fault, you caused it or are responsible for it.
There was no escaping the fact: it was all his fault.
- American English: fault /ˈfɔlt/
- Arabic: خَطَأ
- Brazilian Portuguese: culpa
- Chinese: 故障
- Croatian: greška
- Czech: vina
- Danish: fejl
- Dutch: schuld
- European Spanish: culpa
- Finnish: vika syy
- French: faute responsabilité
- German: Schuld
- Greek: ατέλεια
- Italian: colpa
- Japanese: 責任
- Korean: 과실 실수
- Norwegian: feiltrinn
- Polish: błąd
- European Portuguese: culpa
- Romanian: vină
- Russian: вина
- Latin American Spanish: culpa responsabilidad
- Swedish: fel
- Thai: ข้อผิดพลาด
- Turkish: hata
- Ukrainian: провина
- Vietnamese: lỗi
British English: fault
VERB /fɔːlt/
If you cannot fault someone, you cannot find any reason for criticizing them or the things that they are doing.
You can't fault them for lack of invention.
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fault
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Definition of fault from the Collins English Dictionary
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