DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

flaw

1
[ flaw ]
/ flɔ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR flaw ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a feature that mars the perfection of something; defect; fault: beauty without flaw; the flaws in our plan.
a defect impairing legal soundness or validity.
a crack, break, breach, or rent.

verb (used with object)

to produce a flaw in.

verb (used without object)

to contract a flaw; become cracked or defective.

Words related to flaw

blemish, weakness, failing, defect, foible, glitch, fault, bug, pitfall, gremlin, speck, vice, wart, spot, catch, stain, disfigurement, typo, catch-22

Words nearby flaw

flavory, flavour, flavour enhancer, flavourful, flavouring, flaw, flawed, flawless, flax, flax kit, flaxen

Origin of flaw

1
1275–1325; Middle English flaw(e), flage, perhaps < Old Norse flaga sliver, flake

OTHER WORDS FROM flaw

flaw·less, adjective

synonym study for flaw

1. See defect.

Definition for flaw (2 of 2)

flaw2
[ flaw ]
/ flɔ /

noun

Also called windflaw. a sudden, usually brief windstorm or gust of wind.
a short spell of rough weather.
Obsolete. a burst of feeling, fury, etc.

Origin of flaw

2
First recorded in 1475–85, flaw is from the Old Norse word flaga attack, squall

OTHER WORDS FROM flaw

flaw·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for flaw

British Dictionary definitions for flaw (1 of 2)

flaw1
/ (flɔː) /

noun

an imperfection, defect, or blemish
a crack, breach, or rift
law an invalidating fault or defect in a document or proceeding

verb

to make or become blemished, defective, or imperfect

Derived forms of flaw

flawless, adjectiveflawlessly, adverbflawlessness, noun

Word Origin for flaw

C14: probably from Old Norse flaga stone slab; related to Swedish flaga chip, flake, flaw

British Dictionary definitions for flaw (2 of 2)

flaw2
/ (flɔː) /

noun

  1. a sudden short gust of wind; squall
  2. a spell of bad, esp windy, weather
obsolete an outburst of strong feeling

Derived forms of flaw

flawy, adjective

Word Origin for flaw

C16: of Scandinavian origin; related to Norwegian flaga squall, gust, Middle Dutch vlāghe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012