flaw

[ flaw ]

/ flɔ /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

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

Origin of flaw

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

SYNONYMS FOR flaw

1 imperfection, blot, spot.

3 fissure, rift.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flaw ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

flaw·less, adjective

Synonym study

1. See defect.

Definition for flaw (2 of 2)

flaw

[ 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

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

Related forms

flaw·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flaw

Rather than a flaw that heightens her appeal, it is a flaw that makes her difficult to forgive.
The Feminist Aesthetic of ‘Happy Valley’: A Refusal to Eroticize Violence Against Women|Batya Ungar-Sargon|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the book has one flaw that should serve as a warning or spur to other first-time writers: It lacks higher-order imagination.
Ted Thompson’s Debut Novel Features A 1 Percenter As Its Hero|Stefan Beck|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If there is a flaw to be found here it is only one of narrowness; all of these narrators are American men and most are Marines.
The Profanity of War: Phil Klay’s “Redeployment”|Brian Castner|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By the time the Army decoded the first Venona cable, the flaw had been corrected and KGB communications rendered impenetrable.
Soviet-Era Secret Leakers Were Way Worse Than Snowden|Steve Usdin|August 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Fatness may be a flaw, but it is not a singularly terrible flaw.
Give Chris Christie a Break on His Weight|Michelle Cottle|February 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It came in heavy gusts, the Goldwing careening until her gunwale went under at every flaw.
All Adrift|Oliver Optic
Others floated out for a time, and then, struck by a flaw in the wind, heeled over and disappeared.
The Complete Essays of C. D. Warner|Charles Dudley Warner
Running Fox strained his ears to find a flaw in it, but it sounded genuine.
Running Fox|Elmer Russell Gregor
“There may be a flaw in the argument, Mrs. Wilkins,” I allowed.
Idle Ideas in 1905|Jerome K. Jerome
She was headed for the beach and approached within musket-shot of it, when a flaw of wind from the land cruelly turned her away.
Admiral Farragut|A. T. Mahan

British Dictionary definitions for flaw (1 of 2)

flaw

/ (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

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)

flaw

/ (flɔː) /

noun

a sudden short gust of wind; squall
a spell of bad, esp windy, weather

obsolete an outburst of strong feeling

Derived Forms

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