err
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to go astray in thought or belief; be mistaken; be incorrect.
-
to go astray morally; sin.
To err is human.
- Synonyms:
- lapse, transgress
-
Archaic. to deviate from the true course, aim, or purpose.
idioms
verb
-
to make a mistake; be incorrect
-
to stray from the right course or accepted standards; sin
-
to act with bias, esp favourable bias
to err on the side of justice
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of err
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English erren, from Old French errer, from Latin errāre “to make a mistake; wander”; akin to Gothic airzjan, Old High German irrôn ( German irren )
Explanation
When you err, you make a mistake or do something wrong. When a newspaper reporter errs in a printed story, the paper often prints a correction the next day. By itself, err, which shares a Latin root with error, is a formal way to say "mess up." The proverb "To err is human, to forgive divine" is an old-fashioned version of "Hey, everyone makes mistakes. Why don't you be the bigger person and let it go?" Err can also mean to go in a certain direction, as in another common saying, "Err on the side of caution," or "Play it safe."
Vocabulary lists containing err
Grade 10, List 1
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Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 1
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Auggie & Me
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Estonia's public broadcaster ERR said the Russian jets entered the Estonian airspace in the Vaindloo Island area in the Gulf of Finland.
From BBC • Sep. 19, 2025
However, KAPO, the Estonian internal security service, confirmed to ERR that companies related to the prime minister’s husband had not violated sanctions.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 25, 2023
"We won't see an offensive over the next seven days," Estonia's ERR news quoted the commander of the Estonian Defense Forces intelligence centre, Colonel Margo Grosberg as saying on Friday.
From Reuters • Jun. 19, 2023
It was "one of the largest fraud cases we've ever had in Estonia", he said on Monday, quoted by Estonia's ERR news agency.
From BBC • Nov. 22, 2022
On Tuesday Estonian authorities in Narva removed at short notice a WW2-era Soviet tank from the city by crane, according to footage from national broadcaster ERR.
From Reuters • Aug. 16, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
