Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense faults, present participle faulting, past tense, past participle faulted
1. singular noun [with poss]
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.
A few borrowers will be in trouble with their repayments through no fault of theirown.
2. countable noun
A fault is a mistake in what someone is doing or in what they have done.
It is a big fault to think that you can learn how to manage people in business school.
3. countable noun [oft poss NOUN]
A fault in someone or something is a weakness in them or something that is not perfect.
His manners had always made her blind to his faults.
...a short delay due to a minor technical fault.
Pilots were trying to repair a fault in the plane when it crashed.
For all its faults, the film presents a clear message.
Synonyms: failing, lack, weakness, defect More Synonyms of fault
4. verb
If you cannotfault 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. [VERB noun + for]
It is hard to fault the way he runs his own operation. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: criticize, blame, complain, condemn More Synonyms of fault
5. countable noun
A fault is a large crack in the surface of the earth.
...the San Andreas Fault.
6. countable noun
A fault in tennis is a service that is wrong according to the rules.
7.
See at fault
8.
See to find fault with
9.
See to a fault
More Synonyms of fault
fault in British English
(fɔːlt)
noun
1.
an imperfection; failing or defect; flaw
2.
a mistake or error
3.
an offence; misdeed
4.
responsibility for a mistake or misdeed; culpability
5. electronics
a defect in a circuit, component, or line, such as a short circuit
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
7. tennis, squash, badminton
an invalid serve, such as one that lands outside a prescribed area
8.
(in showjumping) a penalty mark given for failing to clear or refusing a fence, exceeding a time limit, etc
9. hunting
an instance of the hounds losing the scent
10.
deficiency; lack; want
11. at fault
12. find fault
13. to a fault
verb
14. geology
to undergo or cause to undergo a fault
15. (transitive)
to find a fault in, criticize, or blame
16. (intransitive)
to commit a fault
Word origin
C13: from Old French faute, from Vulgar Latin fallita (unattested), ultimately from Latin fallere to fail
fault in American English
(fɔlt)
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. 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
9. Hunting
a break in the line of scent; a losing of the scent; check
10. obsolete
lack; want
11. See at fault
12. See find fault
13. See to a fault
intransitive verb
14.
to commit a fault; blunder; err
15. Geology
to undergo faulting
transitive verb
16. Geology
to cause a fault in
17.
to find fault with, blame, or censure
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]
fault in Electrical Engineering
(fɔlt)
Word forms: (regular plural) faults
noun
(Electrical engineering: Semiconductor and electronic circuitry)
A 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 muchcurrent 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.
fault current, fault-tolerant
More idioms containing
fault
to a fault
COBUILD Collocations
fault
minor fault
technical fault
Examples of 'fault' in a sentence
fault
This is despite the delay being due to a technical fault.
The Sun (2016)
Police said early investigations suggested a mechanical fault was to blame.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The fire was blamed on an electrical fault in the heating.
The Sun (2016)
It is rich with birdlife and wildlife and fault lines are evident.
The Sun (2016)
The onus will be on you to prove you did not cause the fault.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Wood approved the lorry three weeks earlier despite finding faults.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Initial reports suggested that a technical fault was to blame.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If either sound is missing, you know where the fault lies.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There is a lot of anger, a lot of people asking whose fault this is.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It said the cost of repairing the faults it acknowledged was too low to meet its 1,500 threshold for payment.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
We stay in pain when we stay in fault and blame.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It is your fault that you lack competitiveness and it is your task to change that.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Temporary speed restrictions are normally imposed while line faults are repaired.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They say a technical fault led to a delay setting up your direct debit.
The Sun (2012)
Large lump sums were withdrawn from bank accounts after card payments were delayed by a fault.
The Sun (2016)
They suggested the fault must lie in the computer system that controlled the engines.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The delay was more than six hours due to a technical fault with the plane.
The Sun (2016)
The list of obligations extends beyond checking for electrical faults.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is hard to fault either appointment.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
You could not really fault the way he did this.
The Sun (2012)
Thousands of hours in the nets had ironed out any potential faults a long time previously.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The lack of an external fertility indicator is a serious design fault in humans.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
There are other fault lines that traverse the earth.
Richard Fortey THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)
The fault was caused by damage to the internal equipment in the home by an electrical storm.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Who could possibly find fault with that?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
There is no fault and no blame.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Many of the faults can be repaired by owners.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The crash has previously been blamed on technical faults and human error.
The Sun (2014)
The independent investigation will focus on whether the pilot was the victim of a technical fault or human error.
The Sun (2011)
Building or structural survey: technical report on any structural defects and other faults.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It said that it would allow me to settle the bill over 12 months because the error was its fault.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
I suppose it's my fault for wearing bad shoes.
The Sun (2009)
Quotations
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselvesWilliam ShakespeareJulius Caesar
Word lists with
fault
tennis
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
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
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.
American English: fault
Brazilian Portuguese: criticar
Chinese: 批评
European Spanish: criticar
French: critiquer
German: etwas auszusetzen haben an
Italian: trovare da ridire su
Japanese: あらを探す
Korean: ~을 비난하다
European Portuguese: criticar
Latin American Spanish: criticar
All related terms of 'fault'
at fault
If someone or something is at fault , they are to blame or are responsible for a particular situation that has gone wrong .
dip fault
a fault that runs perpendicular to the strike of the affected rocks (i.e. parallel to the plane of the angle of dip of the rocks)
no-fault
designating or of a form of insurance which covers certain losses of all persons injured , as in an automobile accident , without regard to fault
comma fault
the use of a comma , rather than a semicolon, colon , or period, to separate related main clauses in the absence of a coordinating conjunction : often considered to be incorrect or undesirable , esp. in formal writing
fault block
a mass of rock bounded on at least two opposite sides by faults
fault-find
to seek out minor imperfections or errors ; carp
fault line
A fault line is a long crack in the surface of the earth . Earthquakes usually occur along fault lines.
fault plane
the plane along which a fault line occurs
fault trap
A fault trap is a hydrocarbon trap in which closure is caused by a geological fault.
fault tree
a diagram providing a model of the interactions between the components of a system when a failure occurs
find fault
to seek out minor imperfections or errors (in); carp (at)
foot fault
a fault that occurs when the server fails to keep both feet behind the baseline until he or she has served
minor fault
A fault is a mistake in what someone is doing or in what they have done.
double fault
In tennis , if a player serves a double fault , they make a mistake with both serves and lose the point.
fault current
A fault current is a current that results from a fault.
fault-finding
continual and usually trivial criticism
gravity fault
a fault in which the rocks on the upper side of an inclined fault plane have been displaced downwards ; normal fault
oblique fault
a fault that runs obliquely to, rather than parallel to or perpendicular to, the strike of the affected rocks
strike fault
a fault that runs parallel to the strike of the affected rocks
thrust fault
a fault in which the rocks on the upper side of an inclined fault plane have been displaced upwards , usually by compression ; a reverse fault
to a fault
If you say that someone has a particular good quality to a fault , you are emphasizing that they have more of this quality than is usual or necessary .
compound fault
a series of closely spaced faults
fault-tolerant
designed to return to a safe condition in the event of a failure or malfunction
technical fault
A fault is a mistake in what someone is doing or in what they have done.
transform fault
a strike-slip fault that offsets a mid-ocean ridge in opposing directions on either side of an axis of seafloor spreading
dip-slip fault
a fault on which the movement is in the direction of the dip of the fault
electrical fault
a fault caused by something electrical
foot fault judge
on official on the baseline who is responsible for calling foot faults
no-fault divorce
a divorce granted without anyone being found guilty of marital misconduct
no-fault insurance
car insurance that provides cover regardless of who causes an accident
oblique-slip fault
a fault on which the movement is along both the strike and the dip of the fault
San Andreas fault
active fault in the earth's crust extending northwest from S California for about 600 miles (966 km)
strike-slip fault
a geological fault on which the movement is along the strike of the fault
to find fault with
If you find fault with something or someone, you look for mistakes and complain about them.
ground-fault interrupter
an electronic safety device used in place of a standard electrical outlet in areas where shocks are more likely , as kitchens , bathrooms , and workshops : it immediately breaks the circuit if electricity is being lost
the San Andreas Fault
a geological fault in California
thrust
If you thrust something or someone somewhere , you push or move them there quickly with a lot of force.
faultline
the surface of a fault fracture along which the rocks have been displaced
Chinese translation of 'fault'
fault
(fɔːlt)
n
(s) (= mistake) 错(錯)误(誤) (cuòwù)
(c) (= defect)
(in person) 缺点(點) (quēdiǎn) (个(個), gè)
(in machine) 故障 (gùzhàng) (个(個), gè)
(c) (Geo, = crack) 断(斷)层(層) (duàncéng)
(c) (Tennis) 失误(誤) (shīwù) (个(個), gè)
vt
(= criticize) 挑剔 (tiāotī)
it's my fault是我的错(錯) (shì wǒ de cuò)
at fault有责(責)任 (yǒu zérèn)
to find fault with sb/sth找某人/某事的错(錯) (zhǎo mǒurén/mǒushì de cuò)
through no fault of one's own不是自身的过(過)失 (bùshì zìshēn de guòshī)
generous/modest to a fault摆(擺)动(動) (guòfèn kāngkǎi/qiānxū)
All related terms of 'fault'
at fault
有责(責)任 yǒu zérèn
it's my fault
是我的错(錯) shì wǒ de cuò
generous/modest to a fault
摆(擺)动(動) guòfèn kāngkǎi/qiānxū
to find fault with sb/sth
找某人/某事的错(錯) zhǎo mǒurén/mǒushì de cuò
through no fault of one's own
不是自身的过(過)失 bùshì zìshēn de guòshī
1 (noun)
Definition
responsibility for something wrong
It was all my fault we quarrelled.
Synonyms
responsibility
They have admitted responsibility for the accident.
liability
They admit liability, but dispute the amount of his claim.
guilt
You were never convinced of his guilt, were you?
accountability
an impetus towards democracy and greater accountability
culpability
He added there was clear culpability on the part of the government.
2 (noun)
It was a genuine fault.
Synonyms
mistake
He says there must have been some mistake.
slip
There must be no slips.
error
NASA discovered a mathematical error in its calculations.
offence
blunder
I think we have made a tactical blunder.
lapse
The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.
negligence
He was responsible for his patients' deaths through gross negligence.
omission
an injury occasioned by any omission of the defendant
boob (British, slang)
oversight
By an unfortunate oversight, full instructions do not come with the product.
slip-up
The girls had made three crucial slip-ups.
indiscretion
The newspapers tried to reveal the party's indiscretions.
inaccuracy
Guard against inaccuracies by checking with a variety of sources.
howler (informal)
I felt as if I had made an outrageous howler.
glitch (informal)
Manufacturing glitches have limited the factory's output.
error of judgment
boo-boo (informal)
barry or Barry Crocker (Australian, slang)
3 (noun)
Definition
a weakness in a person's character
His manners always made her blind to his faults.
Synonyms
failing
We are often unaware of our own failings.
lack
weakness
His main weakness was his bad temper.
defect
The report pointed out the defects in the present system.
deficiency
the most serious deficiency in their air defence
flaw
The only flaw in his character is a short temper.
drawback
The only drawback was that the apartment was too small.
shortcoming
His book has its shortcomings.
snag
blemish
the one blemish on an otherwise resounding success
imperfection
He concedes that there are imperfections in the socialist system.
Achilles heel
His Achilles heel was that he could not delegate.
weak point
infirmity
In spite of his infirmity, he is still producing plays.
demerit
Opposites
credit
,
strength
,
asset
,
merit
, attribute,
virtue
,
goodness
,
perfection
4 (noun)
Definition
a defect or failing
Hypocrisy is one fault of which he cannot be accused.
Synonyms
misdeed
the alleged financial misdeeds of his government
failing
wrong
I intend to right the wrong done to you.
offence
It is a criminal offence to sell goods which are unsafe.
sin
Was it a sin to have believed too much in themselves?
lapse
misconduct
He was dismissed from his job for gross misconduct.
wrongdoing
The authorities haven't found any evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
trespass
Forgive us our trespasses.
frailty
She is aware of his faults and frailties.
misdemeanour
I knew nothing about my partner's misdemeanours.
delinquency
He had no history of delinquency.
transgression
tales of the candidate's alleged past transgressions
peccadillo
the peccadillos of the governing elite
(verb)
Definition
to criticize or blame
You can't fault them for lack of invention.
Synonyms
criticize
His mother had rarely criticized him or any of her children.
blame
I do not blame them for trying to make some money.
complain
condemn
Political leaders united yesterday to condemn the latest wave of violence.
moan about
censure
I would not presume to censure him for his views.
hold (someone) responsible
hold (someone) accountable
find fault with
call to account
impugn (formal)
I hope the good name of the company will not be impugned.
find lacking
hold (someone) to blame
phrase
See at fault
idioms
See find fault with something or someone
See to a fault
Quotation
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves [William Shakespeare – Julius Caesar]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of accountability
an impetus towards democracy and greater accountability
Synonyms
responsibility,
liability,
culpability,
answerability,
chargeability
in the sense of Achilles heel
Definition
a small but fatal weakness
His Achilles heel was that he could not delegate.
Synonyms
weakness,
failing,
lack,
fault,
defect,
deficiency,
flaw,
shortcoming,
blemish,
imperfection,
chink in your armour
in the sense of blame
I do not blame them for trying to make some money.