defect

American  

[dee-fekt, dih-fekt, dih-fekt] / ˈdi fɛkt, dɪˈfɛkt, dɪˈfɛkt /

noun

defects plural

1. a shortcoming, fault, or imperfection: a defect in a machine.

   a defect in an argument;

   a defect in a machine.

2. lack or want, especially of something essential to perfection or completeness; deficiency: a defect of action.

   a defect of common sense

   a defect of action.

3. Also called lattice defect.  Also called crystal defect,.  Crystallography. a discontinuity in the lattice of a crystal caused by missing or extra atoms or ions, or by dislocations.

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verb (used without object)

defects, present (3rd person singular) defected, past participle, past defecting present participle

1. to desert a cause, country, etc., especially in order to adopt another (often followed by from orto ).

   He defected from the U.S.S.R. to the West.

defect British  

noun

1. a lack of something necessary for completeness or perfection; shortcoming; deficiency

2. an imperfection, failing, or blemish

3. crystallog a local deviation from regularity in the crystal lattice of a solid See also point defect dislocation

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verb

1. (intr) to desert one's country, cause, allegiance, etc, esp in order to join the opposing forces

Synonym Usage

Defect, blemish, flaw refer to faults that detract from perfection. Defect is the general word for any kind of shortcoming or imperfection, whether literal or figurative: a defect in eyesight, in a plan. A blemish is usually a defect on a surface, which mars the appearance: a blemish on her cheek. Flaw is applied to a defect in quality, caused by imperfect structure (as in a diamond) or brought about during manufacture (as in texture of cloth, in clearness of glass, etc.).

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• defectibility
  noun
• defector
  noun
• predefect
  noun
• redefect
  verb (used without object)
• defectible
  adjective
• defectless
  adjective
• nondefecting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• defects
  plural

Participles

• defecting
  present
• defected
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• defect
  simple
• defects
  simple
• have defected
  perfect
• has defected
  perfect
• am defecting
  progressive
• are defecting
  progressive
• is defecting
  progressive
• have been defecting
  perfect progressive
• has been defecting
  perfect progressive

Past

• defected
  simple
• had defected
  perfect
• was defecting
  progressive
• were defecting
  progressive
• had been defecting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will defect
  simple
• will have defected
  perfect
• will be defecting
  progressive
• will have been defecting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of defect

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin dēfectus “failure, weakness,” equivalent to dēfec-, variant stem of dēficere “to run short, fail, weaken” ( see deficient) + -tus suffix of verb action

Explanation

A flaw in something is a defect. At certain stores you can buy clothes with slight defects. You have to be careful because the defect can be minor, like a missing button, or major, like sleeves of uneven lengths. In a person, a defect is an imperfection, which can manifest itself mentally or physically. If you are diagnosed with a heart defect, you will have to seek the advice of specialists. A hearing defect might leave your dad deaf in one ear. If you are becoming forgetful, you can joke that you are developing a mental defect, but if it continues, you'll probably want to have your head examined.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

defect defects defected defecting

I was born with a heart defect, so I see a cardiologist every year to check up on it.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

He later was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect but eventually was able to resume his basketball career.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

The defence's main argument is that the bridge had a hidden construction defect, namely corrosion of the bridge's cables, and it was this that caused its collapse, not a lack of maintenance.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Shortly after, DTN said it believed the inflaters were counterfeits manufactured by another company, and that “the related accidents were not necessarily caused by a defect in the inflater.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Shawn’s undergoing this painful and expensive procedure is the reason my parents would take me to an orthodontist to correct the same defect, which was genetic.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Other transgressions there included urine contamination from rodents on food packaging and shelving, inadequate cleaning standards and structural defects allowing pest entry.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

"Other schedule risks remain, including the detailed designs for the aircraft interiors, fabrication of the wire bundles, and rework to correct defects in structural modifications," the report said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

This includes an extensive £912,000 program to repair structural defects to Kensington Palace, including to strengthen load-bearing portico columns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

These defects are exceptionally sensitive to nearby magnetic activity.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

Still, the horrifying stories about mothers trying to console their babies born with microcephaly and other tragic birth defects were heartbreaking.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

But last week, the replies were inundated with complaints that Letterboxd had defected to the corporate dark side, along with fearful pleas for the platform’s owners to reconsider.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister who defected to Reform UK, has died aged 78.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

In the past year, at least three soldiers have defected across the DMZ, which is around 2 miles wide and 150 miles long.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

It was in 1990, while touring Europe with his hero Gillespie, that Sandoval finally defected from Cuba with his wife and son — and found the refuge he’d been seeking in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

My mother embraced Edward after he defected from Dauntless.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

At the dinner, I tried to get a sense if there were more women like Smith—sweet, older Christian Alabamians—snapping and defecting to the left.

From Slate ● May 4, 2026

The defecting lawmakers are making it heard that their decision wasn’t taken lightly.

From Salon ● Jan. 9, 2026

These two generations have been defecting from the primary market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2025

One radio colleague branded her a traitor for defecting to television.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025

He had even earned a medal, presented by Najibullah himself, before defecting once again and returning to the Mujahideen’s side.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Related Words

• bug
• crack
• deficiency
• deformity
• error
• fault
• flaw
• glitch
• injury
• irregularity
• lack
• mistake
• shortage
• shortcoming
• weakness