default

As a verb, default most commonly means to fail to make a payment, especially on a loan.

It is also commonly used to refer to original, preset options, such as the default settings of a device or app.

Default has many meanings, but most of them involve the absence of something, such as a better alternative (especially in the phrase by default), or a failure to do something, such as make a payment or appear in court. When someone fails to make a payment on a mortgage or other loan, they are said to be in default. 

Example: There are no other candidates in the race, so he was declared the winner by default.

Default has been in use since around the 1200s. It comes from the Old French defaute, from the verb defaillir, meaning “to fail.” Defaillir derives from the Vulgar Latin dēfallīre, “to be lacking.” This is a good reminder that default typically refers to failing to do something or something that’s lacking.

When used in a financial context, default refers to a failure to pay back a loan, as in We’re going to default on our mortgage if we can’t make the payment by the end of the month. When this happens, a person is said to be in default. Less commonly, default can refer to losing a court case by failing to appear. The same meaning is sometimes used in sports, but the word forfeit is a more common way to say this.

The other common meaning of default has to do with the absence of something. When you fill out a form, it often has default responses that you can change—or leave as they are. When you get a new phone, it comes with default settings, meaning the preset, “factory settings” that you can then change and customize based on your preferences. Relatedly, default is used as a noun in the context of software to refer to a preset option or command that will be followed unless it is changed, as in please don’t alter the system defaults. Software will default (revert) to the defaults (presets) in default of (in the absence of) other options. The phrase in default of is commonly used in many contexts to refer to the absence of something, such as in the sentence In default of proper evidence, we could not charge the suspect with a crime. 

One of the most common uses of default is in the phrase by default, which means “in the absence of other options or better alternatives,” as in We have no other entries, so it looks like this one will win by default. It can also mean something like “as a natural or normal state,” as in I’m a calm person by default, so I don’t often get upset or angry.

What are some other forms of default?

• nondefaulting (adjective, noun)
• predefault (noun, verb)
• undefaulted (adjective)
• undefaulting (adjective)

What are some synonyms for default?

• delinquency
• nonpayment
• absence

What are some words that share a root or word element with default? 

• fault
• fail
• fallible
• fallacious

What are some words that often get used in discussing default?

• loan
• mortgage
• payment
• failure
• preset
• option
• software

Default is commonly used in the context of loans, mortgages, device presets, forms, and software. It is especially used in phrases like by default, in default, and in default of.

Realizing lately how easy it is to use they/them pronouns as a default to ensure folks feel comfortable. I’m not perfect but it gets easier everyday. Just saying.

— roger harvey (@xorogerharvey) March 5, 2020

Heroes born with a special power/heritage can be interesting, but it shouldn’t be every character’s default origin. https://t.co/Uoma7ASx7R

— Michael Terracciano (@mookiebean) March 5, 2020

"Philippa King, spokesperson for @DeHavilland said the company had filed a $42.9 million lawsuit for damages stemming from cancelled purchase agreements after @FlySpiceJet failed to take delivery of 19 aircraft and defaulted on several payments."

— Tarun Shukla (@shukla_tarun) March 19, 2020

Is default used correctly in the following sentence?

I reverted my phone to the factory presets and now I have to change all the default settings again.