fault meaning and definition

FAULT noun

Definition of fault (noun)

1. a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
   • "he made a bad mistake"; "she was quick to point out my errors"; "I could understand his English in spite of his grammatical faults"
   • synonyms: error, mistake
2. an imperfection in an object or machine
   • "a flaw caused the crystal to shatter"; "if there are any defects you should send it back to the manufacturer"
   • synonyms: defect, flaw
3. the quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection
   • "they discussed the merits and demerits of her novel"; "he knew his own faults much better than she did"
   • synonyms: demerit
   • antonym: merit
4. (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
   • "they built it right over a geological fault"; "he studied the faulting of the earth's crust"
   • synonyms: break, faulting, fracture, geological fault, shift
5. (electronics) equipment failure attributable to some defect in a circuit (loose connection or insulation failure or short circuit etc.)
   • "it took much longer to find the fault than to fix it"
6. responsibility for a bad situation or event
   • "it was John's fault"
7. (sports) a serve that is illegal (e.g., that lands outside the prescribed area)
   • "he served too many double faults"

FAULT verb

Definition of fault (verb)

1. put or pin the blame on
   • synonyms: blame
   • antonym: absolve