err

/ə:/

Thân thiện

The child will err if he doesn't follow the map.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To make a mistake or be incorrect: To be wrong in judgment, opinion, or action; to be in error.
   • (Archaic) To wander or stray: To deviate from a set course, path, or standard.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • To err is human; to forgive, divine. (It is natural for people to make mistakes; to forgive them is a noble act.)
  • The cashier erred when giving me change. (The cashier made a mistake when giving me change.)
  • If we err in our calculations, the bridge could be unsafe. (If we are incorrect in our calculations, the bridge could be unsafe.)

Advanced Usage

• "err on the side of caution": To choose a course of action that is the safest or involves the least risk, even if it might not be the most precise or optimal.
  • The weather forecast is uncertain, so we should err on the side of caution and postpone the picnic.
• "err in judgment": To make a wrong or poor decision.
  • The manager erred in judgment by hiring an inexperienced candidate for such a critical role.

Variants and Related Words

• Error (n): A mistake.
  • He made an error in the report.
• Erroneous (adj): Wrong; incorrect.
  • The article was based on erroneous information.
• Errant (adj): Straying from the proper course or standards; also, traveling in search of adventure. (This shares the archaic "wandering" sense of "err").
  • An errant knight. / An errant golf ball.

Synonyms

• Mistake: To be wrong or to make an error.
• Blunder: To make a clumsy or stupid mistake.
• Stray: To wander from a direct course or proper path. (Shares the archaic sense).

Related Phrases

• To err is human: A proverb meaning it is natural for human beings to make mistakes.

Học thuật

Verb

1. wander from a direct course or at random
   • The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her
   • don't drift from the set course
2. to make a mistake or be incorrect

Từ đồng nghĩa

• stray
• drift
• mistake
• slip