as in negligence
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action
a default in the repayment of a bank loan
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of default
M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 1 Apr. 2026
Every three seconds, another American falls into default on their student loans.
—Richard Cordray, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Wolfgang Oels, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Holman built up a commanding 15-4 lead in the second period when Chur had to default out because of a knee injury.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for default
Noun
Autofocus and automatic keystone correction are on by default, and options for obstacle avoidance and screen matching are also available.
—M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 1 Apr. 2026
Every three seconds, another American falls into default on their student loans.
—Richard Cordray, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Public institutions continue to default to foreign platforms.
—Wolfgang Oels, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026
Holman built up a commanding 15-4 lead in the second period when Chur had to default out because of a knee injury.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for default
Recent Examples of Synonyms for default
Noun
-
The lawsuit accuses the hotel's ownership and management of negligence in connection with the incident last July.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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The jury in Los Angeles found that Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design of their platforms, and that this negligence was a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff.—
Tim Smith,
Vogue,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This is a youngster in great form and proving hard to ignore.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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Some Democrats argue that the cost of ignoring young male voters is higher than the risk of association with Piker.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 2023, the number dropped significantly, even as supervision failures within jails persisted, down to 63.—
Ryan Oehrli
April 1,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
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Prosecutors also cited Cortez Johnson's prior probation violations, failures to appear, and past convictions.—
Chelsea Jones,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Jurors were later instructed to disregard large portions of the girl’s testimony, which the appellate panel said was likely confusing to the jury.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Taylor Swift‘s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, has sparked a lawsuit from a writer, who accuses the singer of knowingly disregarding her claim to a similar name.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Serious Medical and Emotional Neglect Turner said Kaiko arrived in poor health, suffering from multiple medical issues and signs of prolonged neglect.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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The law also explicitly states that allowing a reasonably capable child to walk to school or travel to a nearby park unsupervised does not, by itself, constitute neglect.—
Stephen Johnson,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Normally, that route goes from Mundra to Salalah, but the April 11 call to Oman has been omitted.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
1 Apr. 2026
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However, for all the structural beauty of the swirling clouds of dust and gas, one key element was intentionally omitted — none of the images used in Project Hail Mary's credit sequence contained a single star.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the time of liftoff, the ISS — currently home to the seven-member Expedition 74 crew — was passing over the northern Pacific Ocean, too far away for the astronauts to see the launch directly.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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The guards use a recurve design that relies on physics and cohesion to pull water back into the gutters, while leaves and other tree debris just pass over the guards and fall to the ground.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Too few compliments make kids feel slighted, while too many can inspire arrogance.—
Wayne Parker,
Parents,
8 Mar. 2026
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The right felt slighted, again, this time as the victim of a great left-wing conspiracy to turn football’s biggest night against them.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Default.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/default. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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