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default

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A value used when none has been given.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

dihfawlt

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

dɪˈfɔlt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. often attributive

    A value used when none has been given; a tentative value or standard that is presumed.

  2. A selection made in the absence of an alternative.

  3. A loss incurred by failing to compete.

  4. electronicscomputing

    The original software programming settings as set by the factory

verb

  1. Fail to pay up

  2. intransitive

    To fail to meet an obligation.

  3. intransitive

    To lose a competition by failing to compete.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A value used when none has been given; a tentative value or standard that is presumed.

Used this way, default is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use default

  • “He lost the game by default.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Loss

default risk

Value

default value

Original

default setting

Other combinations

default judgmentdefault gatewaydefault constructor

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • default judgementnounCompound term

    A judgment entered in favor of the plaintiff when the defendant defaults (fails to appear in court).

  • default judgmentnounCompound term

    A judgment entered in favor of the plaintiff when the defendant defaults (fails to appear in court).

  • default onverbCompound term

    Fail to pay up.

  • default optionnounCompound term

    An option that is selected automatically unless an alternative is specified.

  • judgement by defaultnounCompound term

    A judgment entered in favor of the plaintiff when the defendant defaults (fails to appear in court).

  • judgment by defaultnounCompound term

    A judgment entered in favor of the plaintiff when the defendant defaults (fails to appear in court).

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.