default
default definition
de·fault (dē fôlt′, di-)
noun
- failure to do something or be somewhere when required or expected; specif.,
- failure to pay money due
- failure to appear in court to defend or prosecute a case
- failure to take part in or finish a contest
- Comput. a preset choice, setting, etc. for automatic use as by a program when no other is specified by a user: often used attributively a default disk drive on a PC
- Obsolete a fault, lack, or want
Etymology: ME < OFr defaute < VL *defallita, pp. of *defallere, to lack < L de-, away + fallere, to fail
intransitive verb
- to fail to do something or be somewhere when required or expected; specif.,
- to fail to make payment when due
- to fail to appear in court when required
- to fail to take part in or finish a contest
- to lose a contest by default
Etymology: ME defauten < OFr defauter
transitive verb
- to fail to do, pay, finish, etc. (something) when required
- to lose (a contest, etc.) by default; forfeit
Related Forms:
- defaulter de·fault′er noun
default Idioms
in default of
in the absence of; through lack of
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