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default

Syllabification: (de·fault)
Translate default | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of default

noun

Pronunciation: /diˈfôlt, ˈdēfôlt/
  • 1failure to fulfill an obligation, especially to repay a loan or appear in a court of law:it will have to restructure its debts to avoid default the deteriorating economy pushed defaults to almost $20 billion
  • 2a preselected option adopted by a computer program or other mechanism when no alternative is specified by the user or programmer:the default is fifty lines [as modifier]:default settings
  • [usually as modifier] something that is usual or standard:all my life, envy has been my default emotion SSRIs have become the default for adults with depression

verb

Pronunciation: /diˈfôlt/
[no object]
  • 1fail to fulfill an obligation, especially to repay a loan or to appear in a court of law:some had defaulted on student loans
  • [with object] declare (a party) in default and give judgment against that party:the possibility that cases would be defaulted and defendants released
  • 2 (default to) (of a computer program or other mechanism) revert automatically to (a preselected option):when you start a fresh letter, the system will default to its own style

Phrases

by default

because of a lack of opposition:they won the last election by default
through lack of positive action rather than conscious choice:legislation dies by default if the governor fails to act on it

in default

guilty of failing to repay a loan or appear in a court of law:the company is already in default on its loans

in default of

in the absence of:in default of agreement, the rent was to be determined by a surveyor

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French defaut, from defaillir 'to fail', based on Latin fallere 'disappoint, deceive'

default in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of default in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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