[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/default/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [D](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/d/) / default

# default

noun (default, defaults); verb (default, defaults, defaulted, defaulting); adjective (default)

«default» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (computing) The setting or choice that a computer, phone or game uses unless you change it: «the default font». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#m1)
2. What happens or is chosen automatically when nobody decides otherwise: «by default». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#m2)
3. (money, law) Failure to pay back money you owe, or failure to do what you promised: «default on a loan». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#m3)
4. (sport, law) «by default» or «win by default» — to win because the other side did not turn up or could not play. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#m4)
5. (verb) To fail to pay a debt or do a duty; or for a computer to go back to a setting. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#m5)
6. In default of something means in the absence of it, because there is none. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#m6)

### In the lessons

In computing lessons: default settings, default passwords (change them for safety!), default answers. In maths and logic: the default value is what is assumed if nothing else is given. In adult money talk: if people default on their mortgage, they may lose their home. In sport: a team can win by default when the other team does not come. Phrases: «by default», «default setting», «default on a loan», «win by default», «in default of» (formal: without).

### Examples

- The default language on the tablet is English. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#x1)
- Change the default password to keep your account safe. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#x2)
- We won the match by default because the other team didn't turn up. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#x3)
- If you don't choose a colour, the game picks blue by default. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#x4)
- The company defaulted on its loan and the bank took the building. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#x5)
- The printer always defaults to black and white. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#x6)
- My default lunch is a cheese sandwich. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#x7)
- When nobody volunteered, Sam became the leader by default. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#x8)
- 12) which, in default of other parallels, may be worth comparing with that part of this Skazka which refers to the blind man and the cripple in the forest. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/#x9)

### Note

Stress: de-FAULT (often DEE-fault for the noun in the US). Regular verb. «Default on» a payment. «By default» can be neutral (automatically) or slightly negative (not by choice, only because nothing else happened). In maths problems, a default value is the starting value used when none is given.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «default» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/default/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«default» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/default.html) on Mova free.