default — failure to fulfill an obligation, especially to repay a loan or appear in a court of law
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: failure to fulfill an obligation, especially to repay a loan or appear in a court of law
Pronunciation (IPA): /dɪˈfɔːlt/
Example Sentences
- My mom still uses 'password123' as her default password for everything.
- The student defaulted on his promise to study harder this semester.
- By default, the coffee machine makes the weakest coffee possible, as if it's trying to save the world one bean at a time.
default
NOUN[/dɪˈfɔːlt/]
failure to fulfill an obligation, especially to repay a loan or appear in a court of law

An overwhelmed musician uses a single button to revert a complex, cluttered synthesizer to its original, clean default state.

After the fault, the system dropped back to default automatically. (→ FAULT = something broke, DE = reverse, back)

Default brings the halt — and the fault belongs to no one but you.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old French 'defaut' meaning 'lack' or 'failure,' derived from Latin 'deficere' (de- meaning 'away' + facere meaning 'to do or make'), ultimately referring to a failure to do what is required.
Breakdown
de- (away, lacking) + fault (from Old French 'faute' meaning lack or failure) = default (failure to fulfill an obligation)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My mom still uses 'password123' as her default password for everything.”
“The student defaulted on his promise to study harder this semester.”
“By default, the coffee machine makes the weakest coffee possible, as if it's trying to save the world one bean at a time.”
“The company's default response to customer complaints is to put them on hold for an hour.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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