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
Linda R. Tropp, The Conversation, 21 May 2025
The participants are not just revealing this to strangers who make up the bulk of the show’s viewership, but also, by default, to potentially gossipy friends, neighbors, colleagues and professional acquaintances.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025
Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
The country had defaulted on its debt two years earlier.
—Andrew Ryvkin, The Atlantic, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for default
Noun
Rather than default to focusing attention on your phone, try turning off its volume or setting it to airplane mode.
—Linda R. Tropp, The Conversation, 21 May 2025
The participants are not just revealing this to strangers who make up the bulk of the show’s viewership, but also, by default, to potentially gossipy friends, neighbors, colleagues and professional acquaintances.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025
Verb
The federal student loan program is now in catastrophic failure, where two-thirds of all borrowers cannot even make payments, and more than half are likely to default.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
The country had defaulted on its debt two years earlier.
—Andrew Ryvkin, The Atlantic, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for default
Recent Examples of Synonyms for default
Noun
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Now, Espinosa and his wife are suing the sheriff's office, alleging deliberate indifference and medical negligence.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
16 May 2025
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The lawsuit accuses other officers of assault, battery, false imprisonment and rape, and says the department is to blame because of negligence.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
24 May 2025
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India may still be building its tech future, but if the unicorn count is even half right, the scale of what’s coming is hard to ignore.—
Catherine Baab,
Quartz,
23 May 2025
Noun
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His official cause of death was acute hypoxic respiratory failure, which is a condition where the lungs aren't able to release enough oxygen into the bloodstream.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
25 May 2025
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The failure to adequately cover Biden’s decline points to a broader breakdown that has a simple explanation.—
Becket Adams,
National Review,
25 May 2025
Verb
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Under President Jair Bolsonaro, the prior government allowed for rapid deforestation in exchange for quick economic gain and disregarded the global push for climate action.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
23 May 2025
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Scientific research must be funded, but integrity matters and UCSD must face real consequences for disregarding the law and failing its students.—
Letters To The Editor,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 May 2025
Noun
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In 2014, she was legally removed from her mother’s custody following reports of neglect.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
24 May 2025
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The resulting breakdown is one of the series' most painful moments, with Pacey begging for answers to a lifetime of neglect.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
24 May 2025
Verb
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Vance’s account of this dispute conveniently inflates the evidence of Abrego Garcia’s alleged membership in the MS-13 gang and omits the U.S. government’s responsibility for returning him to El Salvador.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
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Some Leaders Have Started Eliminating The Pre-Meeting Chit-Chat Executives now use a direct communication approach, which omits all small talk.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
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The grates were designed to stay in place when passed over by snowplows.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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Handled in less than an hour by the prosecution and passed over to defense lawyer Westmoreland, the testimony from Richard comes after an opening week that saw often grueling and frequently harrowing testimony from a very, very pregnant Ventura.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Plus, an in-demand restaurant at capacity might not feel particularly motivated to go above and beyond to satisfy a diner who feels slighted by their subpar table.—
Maggie Hennessy,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
3 Apr. 2025
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Was slighting the defense to improve the offense worth risking a miss on several top defensive prospects?—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Default.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/default. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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