Default – 1. Fail to make a payment or fail to honour a contract or agreement. 2. The preselected option adopted by a computer or some other device, or the act of reverting to such a position

PRONUNCIATION

(Pronounced di-folt)

To remember the definition of the word default, use the following mnemonic:

The fault (default) was that she failed to pay extra for the more expensive option of a cabin with a balcony, so she ended up reverting to the pre-selected option of a cabin with just a porthole.

Examples of default in a sentence (fail to make payment or honour an agreement) 

They took out a loan for a new car but defaulted after their first monthly repayment instalment.

She defaulted on her promise to give £500 to charity if she won the £1000 raffle prize

The local authority claimed the company was in default of its agreement to provide an outdoor recreation area as part of the development.

Examples of default in a sentence (preselected option) 

The online form's default answer to the question about nationality was "United Kingdom" – if you came from anywhere else you would have to change it.

The manufacturer's default setting on the electric heater was "Medium" but you could change it to "Low" or "High".

The camera defaults to landscape mode but many other modes, such as portrait and macro (close up), are available at the touch of a button.