fault
Idioms about fault
Origin of fault
synonym study for fault
OTHER WORDS FROM fault
post·fault, nounWords nearby fault
MORE ABOUT FAULT
What does fault mean?
A fault is a defect, flaw, or imperfection in something, as in LaShona found the fault in the code that prevented the website from working correctly.
Fault is also responsibility for a failure or wrongful act, as in It was Jason’s fault that the puppy escaped because he left the front door open.
A fault is also an error or mistake, such as a fault in a solution to a math problem.
To fault someone is to blame them for an error, as in I can’t fault my sister for wanting to be like me.
Fault is commonly used in the idioms at fault and find fault. Someone who is at fault is guilty or responsible for something and could be blamed. Someone who finds fault exposes the flaws of a person or the defects of a product.
Example: It’s not my fault that the slippery dish fell out of my hands and broke.
Where does fault come from?
The first records of the term fault come from the 1200s. It ultimately comes from the Latin fallere, meaning “to be wrong.” When someone is at fault, they are usually wrong about something or did something wrong.
In geology, a fault is a break or crack in a stone, rock, or piece of earth. Faults can be small or large. Faults in the Earth are noteworthy because when a piece of rock attached to a fault moves or breaks, it can cause earthquakes in the surrounding area.
Did you know … ?
What are some other forms related to fault?
What are some synonyms for fault?
What are some words that share a root or word element with fault?
What are some words that often get used in discussing fault?
How is fault used in real life?
Fault is a common word used to discuss mistakes or failures.
Is it Le’Veon or AB’s fault Steelers offense looks awful?
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) September 9, 2019
We might have to upload tomorrow 😭 SORRY ETHAN TOLD ME TO TWEET THAT YESTERDAY ITS NOT MY FAULT
— Grayson Dolan (@GraysonDolan) August 12, 2017
Try using fault!
Which of the following is NOT a synonym for fault?
A. guilt
B. flaw
C. wrong
D. strength
How to use fault in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for fault
Word Origin for fault
Scientific definitions for fault
A Closer Look
Bedrock, the solid rock just below the soil, is often cracked along surfaces known as planes. Cracks can extend up to hundreds of kilometers in length. When tensional and compressional stresses cause rocks separated by a crack to move past each other, the crack is known as a fault. Faults can be horizontal, vertical, or oblique. The movement can occur in the sudden jerks known as earthquakes. Normal faults, or tensional faults, occur when the rocks above the fault plane move down relative to the rocks below it, pulling the rocks apart. Where there is compression and folding, such as in mountainous regions, the rocks above the plane move upward relative to the rocks below the plane; these are called reverse faults. Strike-slip faults occur when shearing stress causes rocks on either side of the crack to slide parallel to the fault plane between them. Transform faults are strike-slip faults in which the crack is part of a boundary between two tectonic plates. A well-known example is the San Andreas Fault in California. Geologists use sightings of displaced outcroppings to infer the presence of faults, and they study faults to learn the history of the forces that have acted on rocks.
Cultural definitions for fault
In geology, a place where sections of the crust of the Earth move relative to each other. (See earthquake and San Andreas fault.)
notes for fault
Other Idioms and Phrases with fault
see at fault; find fault; to a fault.