default definition

English default definition

Etymology

From Middle English defaut, defaute, from Old French defaute (“fault, defect, failure, culpability, lack”), ultimately from Latin de- (“away”) + fallo (“deceive, cheat, escape notice of”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation):
  • (noun) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɔːlt/, /ˈdiːˌfɔːlt/

    • Audio (Southern England)

      (file)

    • Audio (Southern England)

      (file)

  • (verb) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɔːlt/

    • Audio (Southern England)

      (file)

• (General American):
  • (noun) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɔlt/, /ˈdiːˌfɔlt/
  • (verb) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɔlt/
• (General American), (cot–caught merger):
  • (noun) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɑlt/, /ˈdiːˌfɑlt/
  • (verb) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɑlt/
• Rhymes: -ɔːlt

Noun

default (countable and uncountable, plural defaults)

1. (finance) The condition of failing to meet an obligation.

   He failed to make payments on time, and he is now in default.

   You may cure this default by paying the full amount within a week.

2. (finance) The condition of being an obligation that has not been met.

   The deadline has passed, so the debt is now in default.

3. (electronics, computing) the original software programming settings as set by the factory
4. A loss incurred by failing to compete.

   The team's three losses include one default.

5. A selection made in the absence of an alternative.

   The man became the leader of the group as a default.

   • 2011 December 15, Felicity Cloake, “How to cook the perfect nut roast”, in Guardian‎^[1]:

     One of the darlings of the early vegetarian movement (particularly in its even sadder form, the cutlet), it was on the menu at John Harvey Kellogg's Battle Creek Sanitarium [sic], and has since become the default Sunday option for vegetarians – and a default source of derision for everyone else.

   • 2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 6:

     Overall the signage at NIE has the appearance being a top-down artefact driven by institutional policy with English set as the default language.

6. (often attributive) A value used when none has been given; a tentative value or standard that is presumed.

   If you don't specify a number of items, the default is 1.

7. (law) The failure of a defendant to appear and answer a summons and complaint.
8. (obsolete) A failing or failure; omission of that which ought to be done; neglect to do what duty or law requires.

   This evil has happened through the governor's default.

9. (obsolete) Lack; absence.
   • 1820, [Charles Robert Maturin], Melmoth the Wanderer: A Tale. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Company, and Hurst, Robinson, and Co., […], →OCLC, page 156:

     one was dragging a great coat from the window, before which it had long hung as a blind, in total default of glass or shutters

10. (obsolete) Fault; offence; wrong act.
    • 1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify the page)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin, London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC:

      regardless of our merit or default

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Russian: дефо́лт (defólt)

Translations

Verb

default (third-person singular simple present defaults, present participle defaulting, simple past and past participle defaulted)

1. (intransitive) To fail to meet an obligation.
   1. (intransitive, law) To fail to appear and answer a summons and complaint.
   3. (intransitive, finance) To fail to fulfill a financial obligation.

      to default on a loan

2. (intransitive) To lose a competition by failing to compete.

   Synonym: forfeit

   If you refuse to wear a proper uniform, you will not be allowed to compete and will default this match.

3. (transitive, intransitive, computing) To assume a value when none was given; to presume a tentative value or standard.

   If you don't specify a color, it defaults to red.

   • 2002, Tony Martin, Dominic Selly, Visual Basic .NET at Work: Building 10 Enterprise Projects, page 346:

     It defaults your application to Windows authentication mode, and if you want to use forms mode, you can just change it in the authentication section of the file.

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• faulted

Portuguese default definition

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English default; pronounced like French défaut.

Pronunciation

Noun

default m (plural defaults)

1. (finance) default (condition of failing to meet an obligation)
2. (computing) default (original settings)
3. (computing) default (value used when none has been given)

Adjective

default (invariable, not comparable)

1. (computing) being a default setting or value

Spanish default definition

Etymology

Borrowed from English default.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /deˈfolt/ [d̪eˈfol̪t̪]
• Rhymes: -olt

Noun

default m (plural defaults)

1. default