default

American  

[dih-fawlt, dee-fawlt] / dɪˈfɔlt, ˈdiˌfɔlt /

noun

• defaults
  plural

1. failure to act; inaction or neglect.

   They lost their best client by sheer default.

2. Finance. failure to meet financial obligations, as when a borrower misses or stops making monthly loan payments.

   A default on your mortgage can lead to losing the house.

3. Law. failure to perform an act or obligation legally required, especially to appear in court or to plead at a time assigned.

   The judge dismissed the suit for default of the defendant.

4. Sports. failure to arrive in time for, participate in, or complete a scheduled game, race, etc..

   So far the Cougars have had three losses, two wins, and one default.

5. a person’s automatic or standard way of acting or responding; go-to or reflex.

   Her default is to argue about everything I say, unless she’s in a really good mood.

6. lack; want; absence.

   For default of anything better, he took a job washing dishes.

7. Computers. a value that a program or operating system assumes, or a course of action that a program or operating system will take, when the user or programmer specifies no overriding value or action.

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adjective

1. being a person’s automatic or standard action, response, etc.; go-to.

   Chocolate is my default choice for ice cream, but when I feel adventurous I’ll go for something more exotic.

2. Computers. (of a value, action, etc.) preset or preselected, unless the user or programmer gives other input or instruction.

   The default contrast setting on this display is 50 percent.

verb (used without object)

• defaults,
  present (3rd person singular)
• defaulted,
  past participle,  past
• defaulting
  present participle

1. to fail to meet financial obligations, such as payments on a loan, or to account properly for money in one's care.

   After he defaulted twice, the bank foreclosed on the car.

2. to fail in fulfilling or satisfying an engagement, claim, or obligation.

   They said they would pick me up, but defaulted at the last minute.

3. Law. to fail to appear in court.

   One of the key witnesses defaulted.

4. Sports.

   1. to fail to participate in or complete a scheduled game, race, etc..

      I only placed in that race because my chief rival defaulted.

   2. to lose a scheduled game, race, etc., by default.

5. to behave or respond in a certain way automatically, habitually, or by preference (usually followed byto ).

   It seems that in your relationships you default to being a caregiver instead of a partner.

6. Computers. (of a program or operating system) to assume a preset value or take a preselected action unless otherwise instructed by the user or programmer (usually followed byto ).

   Your profile defaults to public unless you set the permissions to private.

verb (used with object)

• defaults,
  present (3rd person singular)
• defaulted,
  past participle,  past
• defaulting
  present participle

1. to fail to perform or pay.

   to default a debt.

2. to declare to be in default, especially legally.

   The judge defaulted the defendant.

3. Law. to lose by failure to appear in court.

4. Sports.

   1. to fail to compete in (a scheduled game, race, etc.).

   2. to lose by default.

idioms

1. in default of, for lack or want of; in the absence of.

   In default of male heirs, his daughters inherited his property.

default British  

/ dɪˈfɔːlt /

noun

1. a failure to act, esp a failure to meet a financial obligation or to appear in a court of law at a time specified

2. absence or lack

3. in the absence of opposition or a better alternative

   he became prime minister by default

4. through or in the lack or absence of

5. law a judgment in the plaintiff's favour when the defendant fails to plead or to appear

6. lack, want, or need

7. computing

   1. the preset selection of an option offered by a system, which will always be followed except when explicitly altered

   2. ( as modifier )

      default setting

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verb

1. (intr; often foll by on or in) to fail to make payment when due

2. (intr) to fail to fulfil or perform an obligation, engagement, etc

   to default in a sporting contest

3. law to lose (a case) by failure to appear in court

4. (tr) to declare that (someone) is in default

default Cultural  

1. Failure to pay a debt when it is due.

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default More Idioms  

1. see in default of.

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Usage

What does default mean in loans? Default is the failure to meet one’s financial obligations, for example, when a borrower misses or stops making monthly loan payments. Default on a loan can make it difficult to get loans in the future and may have other serious consequences. If a person defaults on a home mortgage, the bank may foreclose on the loan and take over ownership of the property, to sell it in order to recoup as much of the unpaid portion of the loan as possible. The term not only applies to individuals, but also to businesses and governments that cannot pay back their debts. Default can also mean failure to account properly for money in one’s care.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• predefault
  noun
• nondefaulting
  adjective
• undefaulted
  adjective
• undefaulting
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• defaults
  plural

Participles

• defaulting
  present
• defaulted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• default
  simple
• defaults
  simple
• have defaulted
  perfect
• has defaulted
  perfect
• am defaulting
  progressive
• are defaulting
  progressive
• is defaulting
  progressive
• have been defaulting
  perfect progressive
• has been defaulting
  perfect progressive

Past

• defaulted
  simple
• had defaulted
  perfect
• was defaulting
  progressive
• were defaulting
  progressive
• had been defaulting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will default
  simple
• will have defaulted
  perfect
• will be defaulting
  progressive
• will have been defaulting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of default

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English defau(l)te, from Anglo-French defalte, Old French defaute, from defaillir, modeled on faute, faillir; equivalent to de- + fault

Explanation

As a setting, a default is automatic. You weren't sure why your new TV kept returning to the factory defaults until you realized you were sitting on the remote. Default can also refer to a lack of other options. You shop at Green's by default; it's the only grocery store in town. Default is also a failure to pay a financial obligation. The number of loan defaults was down this month. As a verb, it means "to fail to pay." Your credit score will go down if you default on a loan.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

default defaults defaulted defaulting

China sentenced the founder of embattled property giant Evergrande to life in prison and fined the group more than $2 billion on Thursday for offences including fraud, five years after a high-profile default.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Fitch cited “existing discord” between the city and the contractors that could lead to further delays in the project and a default on the bonds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Accordingly, Judge Poland entered a default judgment into the record, which gave Midland Credit Management the right to tread on his bank account and garnish his wages.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

Historically, Treasurys yielded less than AAA-corporate bonds, even after adjusting for default risk, but since 2022, that advantage has disappeared.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Lippmann was merely the trader responsible for buying and selling subprime mortgage bonds and, by extension, credit default swaps on subprime mortgage bonds.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Other countries have fallen victim to debt spirals, where high levels of debt lead investors to demand higher interest rates, in turn fueling more borrowing until eventually a country defaults.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

When equipment is bought on credit, it usually doubles as collateral, or the asset a lender can seize if the loan defaults.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

According to Miad Maleki of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, that approach has caused loan defaults and mounting debt at the National Iranian Oil Co.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The worry for analysts and fund managers is that defaults might spread to software companies, which make up 20% or more of the loans in many funds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

As it turned out, Lippmann had a new problem: U.S. house prices were falling, subprime loan defaults were rising, yet subprime mortgage bonds somehow held firm, as did the price of insuring them.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

He was being summoned because he was being sued by Midland Credit Management for $3,466.63 in defaulted credit card debt.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

Since then, the number of defaulted borrowers has exploded from 5.3 million to around 9.5 million, according to data from the Office of Federal Student Aid.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

As England goalkeeper Pickford collected the ball, Mora defaulted to returning to his natural position, failing to close the gap.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Instead, they increasingly defaulted to reading the words themselves.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026

The most you could make was $100 million, if General Electric defaulted on its debt any time in the next ten years and bondholders recovered nothing.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Starting in June 2025, with the pause having ended nine months prior, borrowers began defaulting again for the first time since the pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

On defaulting people into annuities, I am a bit less enthusiastic.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

This shows you your financial account history but does not give you a credit score, which is the risk assessment that lenders use to assess your chances of defaulting.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

The Fed report offers a look at who is defaulting:

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Now, in February 2007, subprime loans were defaulting in record numbers, financial institutions were less steady every day, and no one but him seemed to recall what he’d said and done.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• delinquency
• nonpayment