default
Syllables: de·fault/dɪˈfɒlt/US/dɪˈfɔlt/
default noun: the condition of failing to meet an obligation.
Noun
default (countable and uncountable, plural defaults)
- 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.
- The condition of being an obligation that has not been met.
- The deadline has passed, so the debt is now in default.
- the original software programming settings as set by the factory
- A loss incurred by failing to compete.
- The team's three losses include one default.
- A selection made in the absence of an alternative.
- The man became the leader of the group as a default.
- 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.2011 December 15, Felicity Cloake, “How to cook the perfect nut roast”, in Guardian
- 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.
- The failure of a defendant to appear and answer a summons and complaint.
- 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.
- Lack; absence.
- one was dragging a great coat from the window, before which it had long hung as a blind, in total default of glass or shutters1820, [Charles Robert Maturin], Melmoth the Wanderer: A Tale. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Company, and Hurst, Robinson, and Co., […], →OCLC, page 156
- Fault; offence; wrong act.
- regardless of our merit or default1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify the page)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC
Verb
default (third-person singular simple present defaults, present participle defaulting, simple past and past participle defaulted)
- To fail to appear and answer a summons and complaint.
- To fail to fulfill a financial obligation.
- to default on a loan
- To lose a competition by failing to compete.
- If you refuse to wear a proper uniform, you will not be allowed to compete and will default this match.
- Synonyms:
- forfeit
- 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.
- 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.2002, Tony Martin, Dominic Selly, Visual Basic .NET at Work: Building 10 Enterprise Projects, page 346
default meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
default in Hindi
- finance: condition of failing to meet an obligation
- व्यतिक्रम vyatikram
default in Tamil
- இயனிலை, இயல்பிருப்பு, எல்லோருக்கும் பொதுவான, செயாநிலை, செயாநிலையாக்கு
default in Marathi
- पूर्वनिर्धारित, पूर्वनिर्धारीत, डीफॉल्ट
default in Urdu
- عدم پیروی, غفلت, کوتاہی, نادہندہ
More languagesFewer languages
- default in Bengali
- অনুপস্থিতি, অক্ষমতা, ত্রুটি, অপরাধ
- default in Telugu
- డిఫాల్ట్, డిఫాల్ట్ చేయడానికి
- default in Malayalam
- വീഴ്ച, കടം വീട്ടാൻ കഴിയായ്ക, വിധിച്ചതുപോലെ ചെയ്യാതിരിക്കൽ, അപരാധം
- default in Kannada
- ನ್ಯಾಯಾಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಗೈರುಹಾಜರಾಗುವುದು, ಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕೆ ತಪ್ಪಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು, ಕರ್ತವ್ಯಲೋಪ, ಬೇಪಾವತಿ
- default in Punjabi
- ਉਕਾਈ ukāī
- default in Gujarati
- ડિફોલ્ટ, ડિફોલ્ટ કરવા માટે
- default in Odia
- ପୂର୍ବନିର୍ଦ୍ଧାରିତ, ଡିଫଲ୍ଟ, ପୂର୍ବନିର୍ଦ୍ଧାରିତ କରିବା ପାଇଁ
- default in Nepali
- पूर्वनिर्धारित, पूर्वनिर्धारित गर्नुहोस्
- default in Tagalog
- pagkukulang
- default in Malay
- lalai
- default in Indonesian
- bawaan, asali
- default in Vietnamese
- mặc định
Examples of default in a sentence
- Manual controls allow the user to override the camera's default settings.
- No one could think of a better name, so we chose "Strawman" by default.
- If he wins an election, it will only be by default.
Synonyms of default
Forms of default
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | defaults |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | defaults |
| present participle | defaulting |
| past participle | defaulted |
| past | defaulted |
Origin of default
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”).
Words formed from default
Phrases with default
Words that rhyme with default
Questions about default
- What does default mean?
- Default means the condition of failing to meet an obligation.
- What is default in Hindi?
- Default in Hindi is व्यतिक्रम (vyatikram). See Default meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is default?
- Default can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce default?
- Default is pronounced /dɪˈfɒlt/ (UK).
- What is the plural of default?
- The plural of default is defaults.
Words near default in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: default (page history and authors); default (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); default (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); default (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); default (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); default (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); default (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); default (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ਉਕਾਈ (Punjabi) (page history and authors); default (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); default (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); default (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-default1.wav.
Cite this entry: “default.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/default. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.