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
- errability noun
- errable adjective
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.
He felt that a return before opening day was a bit ambitious, and that it would be better to err on the side of caution.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026
"This is not an emergency evacuation," said a Nasa official, adding: "We always err on the side of the astronaut's health."
From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026
“The guidelines err in promoting meat and dairy products, which are principal drivers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity,” Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said in a statement.
From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026
“Because the IRS asks for enough information to be sent to ‘adequately disclose’ the gift, we usually advise our clients to err on the side of too much information.”
From MarketWatch • Dec. 7, 2025
Many people living outside the evacuation zone in Fukushima decided to err on the side of caution, too.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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.
