404

[fawr-oh-fawr]

noun

1. Also called 404 error. Computers.,  an error message sent by a web server to a browser when the user has typed an incorrect URL, tried to access a web page that is no longer available, or clicked on a broken link on a web page.

   They must have taken down their website;

   I keep getting that annoying “404 - File Not Found” message.

2. Slang.,  a person who is stupid or uninformed.

404

/ ˌfɔːəʊˈfɔː /

noun

1. slang,  a stupid or ineffectual person

Word History and Origins

Origin of 404¹

First recorded in 1995–2000

Word History and Origins

Origin of 404¹

C21: from the Internet error message `404 Not Found'

Example Sentences

Guest: Joseph Cox, co-founder of 404 Media and host of the 404 Media podcast.

Read more on Slate

Xenophon’s “Hellenica” carries the story to 404 B.C., when Athens surrendered and the Spartan general Lysander’s men demolished its Long Walls “to the music of flute-girls.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Underlining their superiority, Australia were set a seemingly impossible target of 404 on the last day to win the fourth Test at Headingley.

Read more on Barron's

By the end, with most of Atlanta’s fans streaming toward the exits, the Hawks’ most dedicated fan group, the “404 crew,” echoed through the mostly empty arena with a final chant: “Where is LeBron?”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He launched it 404 feet down the left-field line, flexing his arms as it landed in the second deck.

Read more on Los Angeles Times