The meaning of DEFAULT is failure to do something required by duty or law : neglect. How to use default in a sentence.

If you win or lose something by default, especially in sports, you win or lose because someone else has failed to do something, for example did not play or complete the game, or because …

failure to act, esp. failure to pay one's debts: to face financial default. Sport failure to appear for or complete a match: progressed into the finals because of his opponent's default.

de•fault (dɪˈfɔlt) n. 1. failure to act; inaction or neglect: They lost their best client by default. 2. failure to meet financial obligations. 3. failure to comply with a legal obligation. 4. Sports. …

What does default mean in loans? Default is the failure to meet one’s financial obligations, for example, when a borrower misses or stops making monthly loan payments.

There are 14 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun default, four of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

DEFAULT meaning: 1 : used to describe something that happens or is done when nothing else has been done or can be done usually used in the phrase {phrase}by default {/phrase} …

Oct 31, 2025 · default (third-person singular simple present defaults, present participle defaulting, simple past and past participle defaulted) (intransitive) To fail to meet an obligation.

The default is a particular set of instructions which a computer always uses unless the person using the computer gives other instructions.

Definition of default noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.