err
Americanverb (used without object)
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to go astray in thought or belief; be mistaken; be incorrect.
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to go astray morally; sin.
To err is human.
- Synonyms:
- lapse, transgress
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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.
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
“Our intent will always be to err on the side of access, which is the decision I have made with regard to “Roots.’”
From Salon • May 31, 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
“But we do have the luxury of trying to err on the side of caution. ... We are certainly better when he’s pitching for us, when he’s active.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
Someone in the Senate who tried to excuse him declared that there were many men who knew how not to err better than they knew how to correct their mistakes.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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.
