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de⋅fault

[di-fawlt]

–noun

1.	failure to act; inaction or neglect: They lost their best client by sheer default.

2.	failure to meet financial obligations.

3.	Law. failure to perform an act or obligation legally required, esp. to appear in court or to plead at a time assigned.

4.	Sports. failure to arrive in time for, participate in, or complete a scheduled match.

5.	lack; want; absence.

6.	Computers. a value that a program or operating system assumes, or a course of action that a program or operating system will take, when the user or programmer specifies no overriding value or action.

–verb (used without object)

7.	to fail in fulfilling or satisfying an engagement, claim, or obligation.

8.	to fail to meet financial obligations or to account properly for money in one's care: When he defaulted in his payments, the bank foreclosed on the car.

9.	Law. to fail to appear in court.

10.

Sports.

a.	to fail to participate in or complete a match.

b.	to lose a match by default.

–verb (used with object)

11.	to fail to perform or pay: to default a debt.

12.	to declare to be in default, esp. legally: The judge defaulted the defendant.

13.

Sports.

a.	to fail to compete in (a scheduled game, race, etc.).

b.	to lose by default.

14.	Law. to lose by failure to appear in court.

Origin:
1175–1225; ME defau(l)te < AF defalte, OF defaute, deriv. of defaillir, after faute, faillir. See de-, fault, fail

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To default

de·fault (dĭ-fôlt')

Failure to perform a task or fulfill an obligation, especially failure to meet a financial obligation: in default on a loan.
Law Failure to make a required court appearance.
The failure of one or more competitors or teams to participate in a contest: won the championship by default.
1. Computer Science A particular setting or value for a variable that is assigned automatically by an operating system and remains in effect unless canceled or overridden by the operator: changed the default for the font in the word processing program.
2. A situation or condition that obtains in the absence of active intervention.

v. de·fault·ed, de·fault·ing, de·faults

v. intr.

1. To fail to do what is required.
2. To fail to pay money when it is due.
3. To fail to appear in court when summoned.
4. To lose a case by not appearing.
Law
1. To fail to appear in court when summoned.
2. To lose a case by not appearing.
To fail to take part in or complete a scheduled contest.

v. tr.

To fail to perform or pay.
Law To lose (a case) by failing to appear in court.
To fail to take part in or complete (a contest, for example).

[Middle English defaute, from Old French, from past participle of defaillir, to fail, grow weak : de-, intensive pref.; see de- + faillir; see fail.]
de·fault'er n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Default

De*fault"\, n. [OE. defaute, OF. defaute, defalte, fem., F. d['e]faut, masc., LL. defalta, fr. a verb meaning, to be deficient, to want, fail, fr. L. de- + fallere to deceive. See Fault.]

1. A failing or failure; omission of that which ought to be done; neglect to do what duty or law requires; as, this evil has happened through the governor's default.

2. Fault; offense; ill deed; wrong act; failure in virtue or wisdom.

And pardon craved for his so rash default. --Spenser.

Regardless of our merit or default. --Pope.

3. (Law) A neglect of, or failure to take, some step necessary to secure the benefit of law, as a failure to appear in court at a day assigned, especially of the defendant in a suit when called to make answer; also of jurors, witnesses, etc.

In default of, in case of failure or lack of.

Cooks could make artificial birds and fishes in default of the real ones. --Arbuthnot.

To suffer a default (Law), to permit an action to be called without appearing to answer.

Default

De*fault"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Defaulted; p. pr. & vb. n. Defaulting.]

1. To fail in duty; to offend.

That he gainst courtesy so foully did default. --Spenser.

2. To fail in fulfilling a contract, agreement, or duty.

3. To fail to appear in court; to let a case go by default.

Default

De*fault"\, v. t. 1. To fail to perform or pay; to be guilty of neglect of; to omit; as, to default a dividend.

What they have defaulted towards him as no king. --Milton.

2. (Law) To call a defendant or other party whose duty it is to be present in court, and make entry of his default, if he fails to appear; to enter a default against.

3. To leave out of account; to omit. [Obs.]

Defaulting unnecessary and partial discourses. --Hales.

default

Failure to pay a debt when it is due.

default

c.1225, "failure, failure to act," from O.Fr. defaute, from M.L. defalta "a deficiency or failure," from L. dis- "away" + fallere "to be wanting." The financial sense is first recorded 1858; the computing sense is from 1966.

Default

1. The failure to promptly pay interest or principal when due.

2. The failure to perform on a futures contract as required by an exchange.

Investopedia Commentary

If you can't make the monthly loan service payments then you are said to have "defaulted" on the loan.

default

The failure to live up to the terms of a contract. Generally, default is used to indicate the inability of a borrower to pay the interest or principal on a debt when it is due. See also technical default.

Main Entry: de·fault
Pronunciation: di-'folt, 'dE-"folt
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French defalte defaute lack, fault, failure to answer a summons, from defaillir to be lacking, fail, from de-, intensive prefix + faillir to fail
1 : failure to do something required by duty (as under a contract or by law): as a : failure to comply with the terms of a loan agreement or security agreement esp. with regard to payment of the debt b in the civil law of Louisiana : a delay in performing under a contract that is recognized by the other party
NOTE: A party whose performance under a contract is delayed is not automatically in default. Rather, the law of Louisiana requires that the other party “put him or her in default” by a written or witnessed oral request for performance, by filing suit, or by invoking a specific provision in the contract. Moratory damages may be recoverable for loss caused by the delay.
2 : failure to defend against a claim in court (as by failing to file pleadings or to appear in court) —see also default judgment at JUDGMENT 1a —default verb —de·fault·er noun —in default : in the condition of having defaulted

default

see in default of.

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