human error

American  

[hyoo-muhn er-er] / ˈhyu mən ˈɛr ər /

noun

plural

human errors

1. a mistake made by a human worker or the propensity of humans to make such mistakes, as opposed to the failure of mechanical or electronic systems or devices.

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Other Word Forms

• human-error adjective

Example Sentences

They met with Pearson, which, according to the college, apologised and said the problem was caused by human error, but that a large number of examiners marked the papers.

From BBC

The U.S. is investigating the strike, which may have resulted from an intelligence failure, munition failure, or human error.

From The Wall Street Journal

Investigators likely will be looking for one of three kinds of mistakes that could have caused the incident—intelligence failure, munition failure or human error, said former U.S. and Israeli military officials.

From The Wall Street Journal

I spoke to sources who have worked in a defense capacity, and they said most likely this was human error—that it’s right next to a barracks and it could have been an error in combat.

From Slate

I think it shows how tragic potentially human error can be in war.

From Slate