err

verb

ˈer

ˈər

erred; erring; errs

intransitive verb

: to make a mistake

erred in his calculations

erred on the side of caution

: to violate an accepted standard of conduct

archaic : stray

Did you know?

Is it human to err?

Many people are familiar with the word err from encountering it in the epigram “to err is human; to forgive, divine.” This phrase is found in Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism, from 1711. Earlier expressions of the same sentiment exist, as in Thomas Jones’ 1678 book, Of the Heart, and its Right Soveraign, which contains the line “to err, is human, to recover, is Angelical; to persevere is Diabolical.”

Err is also often found in the phrase err on the side of caution, to suggest that being overly cautious is better than not being cautious enough.

Err stems from the Latin word errare, meaning “to stray, wander,” and it retained that meaning when it first entered English. We find the same Latin ancestor at the root of the words error, erratic, and erroneous.

Example Sentences

I may have erred in my calculations. The court erred in refusing to allow bail.

Recent Examples on the Web Sharing this information to err on the side of transparency.

Madison Muller, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2022 In the super-secretive world of the NFL, prying eyes are rarely a good thing, which is why teams err on the side of caution on public days and tend to keep things relatively basic.

Tim Reynolds, ajc, 30 July 2022 The government’s aggressive stance on potential sanctions violations is likely encouraging companies to err heavily on the side of caution, according to Mr. Steele, a partner at consulting firm Forensic Risk Alliance.

Jean Eaglesham, WSJ, 27 July 2022 The isolation approach is designed to err on the side of caution.

Dustin Webber, Forbes, 11 July 2022 Others may err in the other direction by being too timid, waiting in vain for board members to reach out to them.

Kevin Kelleher, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2022 So doctors may err on the side of their own legal safety when making decisions about patient care.

Aria Bendix, NBC News, 30 June 2022 The Browns will err on the side of caution this preseason and play Baker Mayfield and the rest of their starters sparingly or not at all in the final two exhibition games.

cleveland, 14 Aug. 2021 Though the silhouettes tend to err on the simple side, Isa Boulder pieces are in fact extremely intricate.

José Criales-unzueta, Vogue, 29 July 2022 See More

单词	erred
释义	err verb ˈer ˈər erred; erring; errs intransitive verb 1 a : to make a mistake erred in his calculations erred on the side of caution b : to violate an accepted standard of conduct 2 archaic : stray Did you know? Is it human to err? Many people are familiar with the word err from encountering it in the epigram “to err is human; to forgive, divine.” This phrase is found in Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism, from 1711. Earlier expressions of the same sentiment exist, as in Thomas Jones’ 1678 book, Of the Heart, and its Right Soveraign, which contains the line “to err, is human, to recover, is Angelical; to persevere is Diabolical.” Err is also often found in the phrase err on the side of caution, to suggest that being overly cautious is better than not being cautious enough. Err stems from the Latin word errare, meaning “to stray, wander,” and it retained that meaning when it first entered English. We find the same Latin ancestor at the root of the words error, erratic, and erroneous. Synonyms blunder boob [British] flub fluff foul up fumble goof (up) louse up mess (up) screw up slip up stumble trip See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences I may have erred in my calculations. The court erred in refusing to allow bail. Recent Examples on the Web Sharing this information to err on the side of transparency. Madison Muller, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2022 In the super-secretive world of the NFL, prying eyes are rarely a good thing, which is why teams err on the side of caution on public days and tend to keep things relatively basic. Tim Reynolds, ajc, 30 July 2022 The government’s aggressive stance on potential sanctions violations is likely encouraging companies to err heavily on the side of caution, according to Mr. Steele, a partner at consulting firm Forensic Risk Alliance. Jean Eaglesham, WSJ, 27 July 2022 The isolation approach is designed to err on the side of caution. Dustin Webber, Forbes, 11 July 2022 Others may err in the other direction by being too timid, waiting in vain for board members to reach out to them. Kevin Kelleher, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2022 So doctors may err on the side of their own legal safety when making decisions about patient care. Aria Bendix, NBC News, 30 June 2022 The Browns will err on the side of caution this preseason and play Baker Mayfield and the rest of their starters sparingly or not at all in the final two exhibition games. cleveland, 14 Aug. 2021 Though the silhouettes tend to err on the simple side, Isa Boulder pieces are in fact extremely intricate. José Criales-unzueta, Vogue, 29 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English, from Anglo-French errer, from Latin errare to wander, err; akin to Old English ierre wandering, perverse, Goth airzeis deceived First Known Use 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Phrases Containing err err on the side of to err is human err on the side of caution err on the side of to err is human err on the side of caution Kids Definition err verb ˈer ˈər erred; erring : to make a mistake Legal Definition err intransitive verb ˈer, ˈər : to make an error the court erred in denying the motion erred verb past tense of err 1 as in fumbled to make a mistake we badly erred when we calculated the driving distance Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance fumbled stumbled blundered tripped flubbed misunderstood nodded screwed up slipped up fluffed loused up misjudged miscalculated fouled up boobed dropped the ball laid an egg muffed bungled misconceived misconstrued botched misinterpreted mishandled miscounted mangled goofed (up) bobbled foozled butchered miscued murdered mistook messed (up) misgauged misgaged misdeemed 2 as in fell to commit an offense when we err, we must be willing to accept the consequences Synonyms & Similar Words fell wandered strayed offended transgressed sinned trespassed violated fell from grace breached infringed backslid broke the law broke lapsed messed up Antonyms & Near Antonyms justified regretted forgave repented pardoned rued
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err

verb

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing err

Kids Definition

verb

Legal Definition

intransitive verb

verb