err
Americanverb (used without object)
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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
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to make a mistake; be incorrect
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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errsimple
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errssimple
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have erredperfect
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has erredperfect
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am erringprogressive
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are erringprogressive
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is erringprogressive
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have been erringperfect progressive
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has been erringperfect progressive
Past
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erredsimple
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had erredperfect
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was erringprogressive
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were erringprogressive
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had been erringperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Even if we can’t be sure something is conscious, we might err on the side of caution by assuming it is – what philosopher Jonathan Birch calls the precautionary principle for sentience.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
“The Fed is gun shy and will rather err on side of doing nothing and leaving things stable,” says Anna Rathbun, CEO of Grenadilla Advisory, a wealth management firm.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Where sweaty digital executives err, Rahma thinks, is aiming too low.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
People don’t know how long they will live, so they err on the side of caution.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026
To err is human; to forgive, divine. escape.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
So long as it always errs on the side of over-punishment, it can be bad.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Mr. Rahe also errs on tariffs’ ability to promote manufacturing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
So his team errs on the side of caution, especially when the earthquake hits closer to the coast — as this one did — and could more quickly inundate populated areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
Pam Lewison makes some valid points about the hard work of farming but errs when she implies it was her family’s efforts that transformed that desert land.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 31, 2023
“Me returns eighteen barks; eighteen errs makes burnt.”
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
She said the court had concluded that trial judge, Judge Nicholas Rowland, had "erred in his assessment of the seriousness of the offences".
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
At a fundamental level, the Lightning erred in attempting to be a traditional American pickup, with all the size and capacity but with a fraction of the available energy on board.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
But Gauff erred again when serving for the match at 5-2, allowing Rakhimova to claw back a break.
From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026
It also argued that the 4th Circuit erred by forcing the state to justify the law as applied to B.P.J. rather than assessing the validity of the sex classification in general.
From Slate ● Jan. 14, 2026
The Duke, then, erred in this election, and it was the cause of his ultimate ruin.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
However, during the meeting some members of the governing council said there “could be a case for erring on the dovish side.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
“We should be erring on the side of doing too much, not doing too little.”
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 17, 2026
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said the team were erring on the side of caution in their handling of Wembanyama's calf problem.
From Barron's ● Nov. 17, 2025
“We’re erring more on the side of do it sooner rather than later to take into account these extreme events,” Ghilarducci said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2025
Perhaps they were erring on the side of overpunishment out of concern for the sport’s image.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
