Meaning

(finance) The condition of failing to meet an obligation..

Definitions by Sense

1. (finance) The condition of failing to meet an obligation.
2. (finance) The condition of being an obligation that has not been met.
3. (electronics, computing) the original software programming settings as set by the factory
4. A loss incurred by failing to compete.
5. A selection made in the absence of an alternative.
6. (often attributive) A value used when none has been given; a tentative value or standard that is presumed.
7. (law) The failure of a defendant to appear and answer a summons and complaint.
8. (obsolete) A failing or failure; omission of that which ought to be done; neglect to do what duty or law requires.

Example Sentences

He failed to make payments on time, and he is now in default.

You may cure this default by paying the full amount within a week.

The deadline has passed, so the debt is now in default.

The team's three losses include one default.

The man became the leader of the group as a default.

One of the darlings of the early vegetarian movement (particularly in its even sadder form, the cutlet), it was on the menu at John Harvey Kellogg's Battle Creek Sanitarium [sic], and has since become the default Sunday option for vegetarians – and a default source of derision for everyone else.

Overall the signage at NIE has the appearance being a top-down artefact driven by institutional policy with English set as the default language.

If you don't specify a number of items, the default is 1.

Word Forms

• defaults
• defaulting
• defaulted

Synonyms for default

Antonyms for default

Related Words

When Should You Use Default?

Use default when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions