What does "defect" mean?
A fault or malfunction.
Defect
/ˈdiːfɛkt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A fault or malfunction.
- Grammar: defect is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: fault, flaw, shortcoming, deficiency.
- Useful contrasts: dutch attribuut, important personal trait, portuguese qualidade.
- Usage evidence: To be perfect she lacked just one defect.
How to use "defect"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "defect" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "defect" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "defect" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "defect" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "defect" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "fault" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "defect", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A fault or malfunction.
"a defect in the ear or eye; a defect in timber or iron; a defect of memory or judgment"
- 2 a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body) wordnet
- 3 The quantity or amount by which anything falls short.
"and the indefatigable application with which they have supplied the defects of early culture."
- 4 a failing or deficiency wordnet
- 5 A part by which a figure or quantity is wanting or deficient.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 an imperfection in a bodily system wordnet
- 7 an imperfection in an object or machine wordnet
Verb
- 1 To abandon or turn against; to cease or change one's loyalty, especially from a military organisation or political party. intransitive
"Capitalizing on the restive mood, Mr. Farage, the U.K. Independence Party leader, took out an advertisement in The Daily Telegraph this week inviting unhappy Tories to defect. In it Mr. Farage sniped that the Cameron government — made up disproportionately of career politicians who graduated from Eton and Oxbridge — was “run by a bunch of college kids, none of whom have ever had a proper job in their lives.”"
- 2 desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army wordnet
- 3 To desert one's army, to flee from combat.
- 4 To join the enemy army.
- 5 To flee one's country and seek asylum.
"Passing through Thailand, she submitted a handwritten statement agreeing to defect, a requirement for North Korean refugees to be allowed to enter the South."
Antonyms
dutch attribuutimportant personal traitportuguese qualidadepositive attribute
Example
"To be perfect she lacked just one defect."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "defect"?
Common synonyms include: fault, flaw, shortcoming, deficiency, abandon, aberration.
How do you use "defect" in a sentence?
To be perfect she lacked just one defect.
How do you pronounce "defect"?
Pronounced /ˈdiːfɛkt/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin defectus (“a failure, lack”), from deficere (“to fail, lack, literally 'undo'”), from past participle defectus, from de- (“of, from”) + facere (“to do”).