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At fault

 - 6 dictionary results

fault

  [fawlt]
Use At fault in a Sentence
–noun
1. a defect or imperfection; flaw; failing: a fault in the brakes; a fault in one's character.
2. responsibility for failure or a wrongful act: It is my fault that we have not finished.
3. an error or mistake: a fault in addition.
4. a misdeed or transgression: to confess one's faults.
5. Sports. (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. Manège. (of a horse jumping in a show) 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.
9. Hunting. a break in the line of scent; a losing of the scent; check.
10. Obsolete. lack; want.
–verb (used without object)
11. to commit a fault; blunder; err.
12. Geology. to undergo faulting.
–verb (used with object)
13. Geology. to cause a fault in.
14. to find fault with, blame, or censure.
—Idioms
15. at fault,
a. open to censure; blameworthy: to be at fault for a mistake.
b. in a dilemma; puzzled: to be at fault as to where to go.
c. (of hounds) unable to find the scent.
16. find fault, to seek and make known defects or flaws; complain; criticize: He constantly found fault with my behavior.
17. to a fault, to an extreme degree; excessively: She was generous to a fault.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME faute < AF, MF < VL *fallita, n. use of fem. of *fallitus, for L falsus, ptp. of fallere to be wrong

Synonyms:
1. blemish; frailty, shortcoming. Fault, failing, foible, weakness, vice imply shortcomings or imperfections in a person. Fault is the common word used to refer to any of the average shortcomings of a person; when it is used, condemnation is not necessarily implied: Of his many faults the greatest is vanity. Foible, failing, weakness all tend to excuse the person referred to. Of these foible is the mildest, suggesting a weak point that is slight and often amusing, manifesting itself in eccentricity rather than in wrongdoing: the foibles of artists. Weakness suggests that the person in question is unable to control a particular impulse, and gives way to self-indulgence: a weakness for pretty women. Failing is closely akin to fault, except that it is particularly applied to humanity at large, suggesting common, often venial, shortcomings: Procrastination and making excuses are common failings. Vice (which may also apply to a sin in itself, apart from a person: the vice of gambling) is the strongest term, and designates a habit that is truly detrimental or evil.

Antonyms:
1. virtue, strength, merit.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To At fault
fault   (fôlt)   


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n.  

    1. A character weakness, especially a minor one.

    2. Something that impairs or detracts from physical perfection; a defect. See Synonyms at blemish.

    3. A mistake; an error.

    4. 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.

v.   fault·ed, fault·ing, faults

v.   tr.

  1. To find error or defect in; criticize or blame.

  2. Geology To produce a fault in; fracture.

v.   intr.

  1. To commit a mistake or an error.

  2. Geology To shift so as to produce a fault.


[Middle English faulte, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *fallita, from variant of Latin falsa, feminine past participle of fallere, to deceive, fail.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

fault

In geology, a place where sections of the crust of the Earth move relative to each other. (See earthquake and San Andreas fault.)

Note: Faults tend to occur near the edges of tectonic plates.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

fault  (n.)
c.1280, "deficiency," from O.Fr. faute "lack, deficiency," from V.L. *fallita "a shortcoming, falling," n. use of fem. pp., from L. falsus, pp. of fallere "deceive, disappoint" (see false). The -l- was restored 1400s, probably in imitation of L., but was not pronounced till 18c. Sense of "physical defect" is from c.1320; that of "moral culpability" is first recorded 1377. Geological sense is from 1796. The use in tennis (1599) is closer to the etymological sense. The verb is first recorded 1559 in the sense "to find fault with." Faulty is from 1380.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: fault
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French faute lack, failing, ultimately from Latin fallere to deceive, disappoint
1 : a usually intentional act forbidden by law; also : a usually intentional omission to do something (as to exercise due care) required by law —see also NEGLIGENCE —compare NO-FAULT strict liability at LIABILITY
NOTE: Sometimes when fault is used in legal contexts it includes negligence, sometimes it is considered synonymous with negligence, and sometimes it is distinguished from negligence. Fault and negligence are the usual bases for liability in the law of torts.
2 : responsibility for an act or omission that causes damage or injury to another fault> —see also COMPARATIVE FAULT—at fault : liable or responsible based on fault at fault>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

at fault

Responsible for a mistake, trouble, or failure; deserving blame. For example, At least three cars were involved in the accident, so it was hard to determine which driver was at fault, or He kept missing the target and wondered if the sight on his new rifle was at fault. In Britain this usage was formerly considered incorrect but is now acceptable; in America it has been widespread since the mid-1800s. Also see in the wrong.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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