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Synonyms

find fault

Idioms  

  1. Criticize, express dissatisfaction with, as in She was a difficult traveling companion, constantly finding fault with the hotel, meal service, and tour guides. [Mid-1500s]

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.

There he sat in the public gallery, Don Corleone-esque, daring the Supreme Court to find fault with his read on birthright citizenship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

But once their grandson left, the locksmith claimed to find fault with the lock itself and said the whole thing needed replacing.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

Slatkin also noted that his parents weren’t enamored of their performance, but then again, he explained that they were temperamentally ever ready to find fault.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2025

The compliance report quotes the whistleblower as saying that “the purpose was to find fault with the track in order to withhold the license”.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 5, 2024

“Nothing,” she says, not wanting to hurt his feelings, to find fault with his costly gift.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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.