as in scar
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
the statue has a slight defect on the base, so it's being sold at a discount
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Recent Examples of defect
Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Antoinette McGarrahan, a clinical psychologist, appears to have concluded that severe mental disease or defect caused Omondi not to comprehend that his conduct was wrong.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Several Kurdish groups have released public statements hinting at imminent action and urging Iranian military forces to defect.
—John Calabrese, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defect
Noun
The former five-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon High still is growing into his career, especially after surgery for a congenital heart defect derailed his brief college experience at USC.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Antoinette McGarrahan, a clinical psychologist, appears to have concluded that severe mental disease or defect caused Omondi not to comprehend that his conduct was wrong.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
Through the 2000s, players continued to defect.
—Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Several Kurdish groups have released public statements hinting at imminent action and urging Iranian military forces to defect.
—John Calabrese, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defect
Noun
-
Dermatologists recommend a vitamin C serum to help reduce hyperpigmentation, acne scars, and overall skin dullness.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Mary, meanwhile, walks away with visible scars, although the real healing was all internal.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Cuban president recalled the achievements made possible by the revolution and its social welfare system, which allows for free education that has trained thousands of professionals, many of whom have now been forced to emigrate due to the crisis.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
After his father died from tuberculosis in 1846, Strauss and his sisters emigrated to New York City, where his two older brothers owned a wholesale dry goods business.—
Jack Armstrong,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This was a black one with blotches faintly outlined in pale yellow, a beautiful but deadly looking animal.—
Dr. C. E. Kuschel,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The eggs vary in color—from white to blue to brown—with speckles, blotches, and other markings and are also distinctive in shape.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nearly 100,000 visitors pilgrimage to the area annually to witness a forest canopy cloaked in orange-and-black wings.—
Jen Murphy,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Several hundred of them pilgrimage to Arizona each February for the I Heart Pluto Festival.—
David Allan,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Additional information about the crash, including the directions both cars were traveling, which driver was at fault and whether drugs, alcohol or speeding are believed to be factors, was not immediately available Thursday.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
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And later, when water levels dropped, tectonics shifted, reefs grew, and the ice age locked away the planet’s water supplies into glaciers, and new faults thrust the land skyward to dry?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Silversea is lauded for both its classic ocean liners and expedition ships, which voyage the globe including the Poles.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first human to voyage into space just a month before, with American astronaut Alan Shepard close on his heels.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The toebox’s square shape is also particularly accommodating for bunion deformities.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The Romans did not share our sensibilities about gender or deformity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
David and Aaron trekked to Seoul in 2024 to watch the Padres open the season against the Dodgers.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Get your heart rate up while trekking through the scenic Canaan Valley and take a quick rest at any of the dozen shelters, some outfitted with wood-burning stoves.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defect. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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