1
a
: an act or condition of ignorant or imprudent deviation from a code of behavior
b
: an act involving an unintentional deviation from truth or accuracy
made an error in adding up the bill
c
: an act that through ignorance, deficiency, or accident departs from or fails to achieve what should be done
an error in judgment
: such as
(1)
: a defensive misplay other than a wild pitch or passed ball made by a baseball player when normal play would have resulted in an out or prevented an advance by a base runner
(2)
: the failure of a player (as in tennis) to make a successful return of a ball during play
d
: a mistake in the proceedings of a court of record in matters of law or of fact
2
a
: the quality or state of erring
the map is in error
b
Christian Science
: illusion about the nature of reality that is the cause of human suffering : the contradiction of truth
c
: an instance of false belief
3
: something produced by mistake
a typographical error
especially
: a postage stamp exhibiting a consistent flaw (such as a wrong color) in its manufacture
4
a
: the difference between an observed or calculated value and a true value
specifically
: variation in measurements, calculations, or observations of a quantity due to mistakes or to uncontrollable factors
b
: the amount of deviation from a standard or specification
5
: a deficiency or imperfection in structure or function
an error of metabolism
Examples of error in a Sentence
I made an error in my calculations.
They uncovered several errors in his report to the committee.
The paper contains numerous spelling errors.
horrifying cases of hospital error
The shortstop was charged with an error.
Recent Examples on the Web
The tensions are mounting and the room for error is constricting.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Gabriela Bhaskar | Bloomberg | Getty Images Shares of Advanced Micro Devices jumped nearly 8% on Friday following a report that IBM can utilize the company’s chips to run a quantum computing error correction algorithm.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
With two conference losses, LSU's margin for error is nonexistent.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
For Baltimore, the margin for error is gone.
—Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for error
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Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Gabriela Bhaskar | Bloomberg | Getty Images Shares of Advanced Micro Devices jumped nearly 8% on Friday following a report that IBM can utilize the company’s chips to run a quantum computing error correction algorithm.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
With two conference losses, LSU's margin for error is nonexistent.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
For Baltimore, the margin for error is gone.
—Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for error
Cite this Entry
“Error.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/error. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
error
noun
er·ror
ˈer-ər 
1
a
: departure from a code of behavior
the error of their ways
b
: an unintentional departure from truth, accuracy, or a goal
made an error in my adding
c
: a misplay made by a fielder in baseball
2
: the quality or state of erring
3
: a false belief or a set of false beliefs
4
: something produced by mistake
5
: the difference between an observed or calculated value and a true value
especially
: variation in measurements, calculations, or observations of a quantity as a result of mistakes or uncontrollable conditions
6
: the amount of error
Medical Definition
error
noun
er·ror
ˈer-ər
: a deficiency or imperfection in structure or function
inborn errors of metabolism
Legal Definition
error
noun
er·ror
: an act that through ignorance, deficiency, or accident departs from or fails to achieve what should be done
procedural errors
especially
: a mistake made by a lower court in conducting judicial proceedings or making findings in a case
to compel to conclusion that a manifest error has been done —Moses v. Burgin, 445 F.2d 369 (1971)
—often used without an article Moses v. Burgin, 445 F.2d 369 (1971) had been error to give the jury special interrogatories —K. A. Cohen
; see also assignment of error, clearly erroneous
K. A. Cohen Note: Generally a party must object to an error at trial in order to raise it as an issue on appeal.
—
clear error
: an error made by a judge in his or her findings of fact which is such that it leaves the reviewing court with the firm and definite conviction that a mistake has been made
Note: A clear error may or may not warrant reversal.
—
fundamental error
: plain error in this entry
—used especially in criminal cases
—
harmless error
: an error that does not affect a substantial right or change the outcome of a trial and does not warrant reversal or other modification of the lower court's decision on appeal
—
invited error
: an error resulting from a party's own request for or encouragement of an action by the court
Note: A party may not seek relief based on invited error that he or she has induced.
—
manifest error
: an error that is obvious and indisputable and that warrants reversal on appeal
—
plain error
: an obvious and prejudicial error that affects the substantial rights of the parties and that results or probably results in a miscarriage of justice
Note: Plain error warrants reversal on appeal even in the absence of objection to the error at trial.
—
prejudicial error
: an error that affects or presumptively affects the outcome of a trial
—
reversible error
: a substantial and prejudicial error warranting reversal on appeal
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