- fault
- fault fault [fɔːlt ǁ fɒːlt] noun [countable]1. MANUFACTURING something that is wrong with a machine, system etc that prevents it from working correctly:fault in
• Soviet engineers identified 32 design faults in the reactor, any of which could have led to an explosion.
• The sweater had a fault in it and I had to take it back.
3. LAW the responsibility of a person or organization for damage or injury to someone, or for a criminal act:• The borrowers were at fault for signing fraudulent applications.
4. LAW no-fault used to talk about arrangements where it is not necessary to prove that someone was at fault for the person who was injured or hurt to receive money:• no-fault systems for medical malpractice cases that would provide limited but guaranteed benefits
• no-fault auto insurance
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fault UK US /fɔːlt/ noun► [C] something that is wrong with a machine or system: »The car had a serious design fault and had to be recalled.
»An electrical fault caused the fire.
► [U] the fact of being responsible for something bad that happens: be sb's fault (that) »It was the traders' fault that so many billions were lost.
be the fault of sb »The court found that the accident was the fault of the local authority.
the fault lies with sb »We need to decide whether the fault lies with the buyer or the seller in this case.
Financial and business terms. 2012.