err

[ ur, er ]

/ ɜr, ɛr /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR err ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to go astray in thought or belief; be mistaken; be incorrect.

to go astray morally; sin: To err is human.

Archaic. to deviate from the true course, aim, or purpose.

Nearby words

erotomaniac, erotopathy, erotophobia, erp, erpf, err, errancy, errand, errand boy, errant, errantly

Origin of err

1275–1325; Middle English erren < Old French errer < Latin errāre; akin to Gothic airzjan, Old High German irrôn, German irren

SYNONYMS FOR err

2 transgress, lapse.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR err ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formserr·a·bil·i·ty, nounerr·a·ble, adjective

Can be confusedair e'er ere err heirer err Ur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for err

No one likes it when their sandcastle is knocked over, but his reaction is a bit, err, extreme.
Was Baby Jesus A Holy Terror?|Candida Moss|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They tend to err heavily on the side of the government where kidnapping is concerned.
Mexican Journalists Speak Out on Reporter Murders|Jason McGahan|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In other words, the vast majority of Americans seem to agree with the American Mullahs, err, “hard-liners.”
The Myth of the American Mullah|James Kirchick|December 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Err, yes, of course Newt Gingrich loved the number of debates.
Thanks, Newt, But We Should Have Fewer Debates|Justin Green|April 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But in the humble opinion of this correspondent, it should err on the side of "too high".
The Obama Administration Wants Banks to Stop Being So Uptight About their Mortgage Underwriting. How Crazy is That?|Megan McArdle|April 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Here is a suitable garb, a quilted and padded coat—a trifle large for thee, perhaps, yet 'tis better to err on the generous side.
The Winning of the Golden Spurs|Percy F. Westerman
Unquestionably he does occasionally, like Robert Browning, err in the direction of cacophony.
Some Diversions of a Man of Letters|Edmund William Gosse
To err is to be human and the troops, if sent at once, may or may not, fulfil our hopes.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
This prediction is so plain that a "wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein."
Cowley's Talks on Doctrine|Matthias F. Cowley
But firstly, these curses were uttered by those who could not err in such things.
The Expositor's Bible:|Alfred Plummer

British Dictionary definitions for err

err

/ (ɜː) /

verb (intr)

to make a mistake; be incorrect

to stray from the right course or accepted standards; sin

to act with bias, esp favourable biasto err on the side of justice

Word Origin for err

C14: erren to wander, stray, from Old French errer, from Latin errāre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for err

err

c.1300, from Old French errer "go astray, lose one's way; make a mistake; transgress," from Latin errare "wander, go astray, be in error," from PIE root *ers- "be in motion, wander around" (cf. Sanskrit arsati "flows;" Old English ierre "angry, straying;" Old Frisian ire "angry;" Old High German irri "angry," irron "astray;" Gothic airziþa "error, deception;" the Germanic words reflecting the notion of anger as a "straying" from normal composure). Related: Erred; erring.