flaw

¹

[ flaw ]

noun

1. a feature that mars the perfection of something; defect; fault:

   beauty without flaw; the flaws in our plan.

   Synonyms: spot, blot, imperfection

2. a defect impairing legal soundness or validity.
3. a crack, break, breach, or rent.

   Synonyms: rift, fissure

verb (used with object)

1. to produce a flaw in.

verb (used without object)

1. to contract a flaw; become cracked or defective.

flaw

²

[ flaw ]

noun

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

flaw

¹

/ flɔː /

noun

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

flaw

²

/ flɔː /

noun

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

verb

1. to make or become blemished, defective, or imperfect

Derived Forms

• ˈflawy, adjective
• ˈflawlessness, noun
• ˈflawlessly, adverb
• ˈflawless, adjective

Other Words From

• flawless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flaw¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English flage, flaw(e), perhaps from Old Norse flaga “sliver, flake”

Origin of flaw²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of flaw¹

C16: of Scandinavian origin; related to Norwegian flaga squall, gust, Middle Dutch vlāghe

Origin of flaw²

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

Synonym Study

See defect.

Example Sentences

An investigation by ProPublica and the Bay City News Foundation discovered flaws in the State Personnel Board investigation that led to her dismissal.

From ProPublica

That means the bill has to be taken seriously even if it has flaws, says Berin Szoka, the founder and president of the thinktank TechFreedom.

From MIT Technology Review

The platform isn’t without its flaws and Smalls understands that, said executive creative director Veronica del Rosario.

From Digiday

Diamonds are made by Mother Nature, of course, so internal flaws are common, but many are too small to be seen by the naked eye.

From Washington Post

The hackers were hunting for, and finding, previously unknown flaws, known as zero-day vulnerabilities.

From MIT Technology Review

An F-35 was destroyed on takeoff earlier in the year when a design flaw in its Pratt & Whitney F135 engine sparked a fire.

From The Daily Beast

Rather than a flaw that heightens her appeal, it is a flaw that makes her difficult to forgive.

From The Daily Beast

But the logic of the anti-interventionist left is built today around the same moral flaw that it was during the Cold War.

From The Daily Beast

But the most glaring flaw is the decline in female directors.

From The Daily Beast

How Wisconsin police discovered the lethal flaw before it became a national scandal.

From The Daily Beast

The sharpened faculties have something of a lawyer's quickness in detecting a flaw in the indictment.

From Project Gutenberg

Its only flaw was a dangerous crack through the lamb's nose and front feet.

From Project Gutenberg

Athene (Roman Minerva) however, the goddess of wisdom, had a character without a flaw, and ranked with Apollo in wisdom.

From Project Gutenberg

There was not a flaw in the sequence of events, no possible reason for the suspicions which yet lingered at the back of his brain.

From Project Gutenberg

His whole scheme was complete, and he reviewed every point of it to make certain there was no flaw in it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• blemish
• bug
• defect
• failing
• fault
• foible
• glitch
• pitfall
• weakness