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.
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
People don’t know how long they will live, so they err on the side of caution.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 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
I don’t know if it still hurts people’s feelings at that age to be thought of as older, but it’s better to err on the side of caution.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Mr. Rahe also errs on tariffs’ ability to promote manufacturing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
Part of that unpredictability is predicated on Sonne’s performance, which errs on the wild side.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
“In other words, by design, SPD errs on the side of overestimating any disparity for analytic purposes,” according to a recent “Outcome Measures Update” filed in federal court in conjunction with the OIG assessment.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
"The school errs on the side of pressing charges," Mefford said.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2022
“Me returns eighteen barks; eighteen errs makes burnt.”
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
Paramount is expected to argue that the states erred by not including streaming as part of the market definition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
He said they’d erred in making so many autobiographical movies and needed more broadly commercial hooks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
In the selection of his back three, Townsend erred on the side of caution and form.
From BBC ● Feb. 13, 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
There will be much criticism of that decision, but you will understand when I say if it be a wrong one, I have then erred on the side of mercy.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
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
In his first interview since it became public, Shapps told the BBC erring on the side of caution was "entirely justified", adding his focus had been "sorting out the mess and saving lives".
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2025
More commonly, though, doctors correct for their uncertainty by erring heavily on the side of caution.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
