error

noun

(countable) A mistake; an accidental wrong action or a false statement not made deliberately.

(uncountable) The state, quality, or condition of being wrong.

(countable, uncountable) Sin; transgression.

(computing, countable) A failure to complete a task, usually involving a premature termination.

(statistics, countable) The difference between a measured or calculated value and a true one.

(appellate law, uncountable) One or more mistakes in a trial that could be grounds for review of the judgement.

(baseball, countable) A play which is scored as having been made incorrectly.

(linguistics) An unintentional deviation from the inherent rules of a language variety made by a second language learner.

Any alteration in the DNA chemical structure occurring during DNA replication, recombination or repairing.

verb

(computing) To function improperly due to an error, especially accompanied by error message.

(telecommunications) To show or contain an error or fault.

(nonstandard) To err.

Roots

erroerr- · Latin · wander, stray

Words related to error

mistakern misreckon dittographyadj blunderinglyadv lapsus errv errorlessadj erroneousadj misidentifyv inadvertencen incorrectnessn emendatev misprisionn faultyadj mistyping misspellingn

Synonyms & related words for error

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of error — including erroneousness, mistake, fault, misplay, blunder, miscalculation. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to error

Explore words related to error — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include mistaker, misreckon, dittography, blunderingly, lapsus, err, errorless, erroneous. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for error

Common synonyms for error include erroneousness, mistake, fault, misplay, blunder, miscalculation, typo, misstep — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does error come from?

The word error breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root err-, from Latin erro (“wander, stray”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.