Flaw
[flɔː] or [flɔ]
Definition
(noun.) an imperfection in a plan or theory or legal document that causes it to fail or that reduces its effectiveness.
(noun.) defect or weakness in a person's character; 'he had his flaws, but he was great nonetheless'.
(verb.) add a flaw or blemish to; make imperfect or defective.
Checked by Gerald--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) A crack or breach; a gap or fissure; a defect of continuity or cohesion; as, a flaw in a knife or a vase.
(n.) A defect; a fault; as, a flaw in reputation; a flaw in a will, in a deed, or in a statute.
(n.) A sudden burst of noise and disorder; a tumult; uproar; a quarrel.
(n.) A sudden burst or gust of wind of short duration.
(v. t.) To crack; to make flaws in.
(v. t.) To break; to violate; to make of no effect.
Checked by Emil
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. [1]. Break, crack, breach, cleft, fissure, rift, fracture, rent.[2]. Blemish, spot, speck, fault, defect, imperfection.[3]. (Naut.) Gust of wind.
Editor: Theresa
Definition
n. a break a crack: a defect.—v.t. to crack or break.—adjs. Flaw′less; Flaw′y.
n. a gust of wind: a sudden rush uproar.
Edited by Ian
Examples
- And busily, in my own mind, I ran over the list of our inmates, seeking this paragon, this pearl of great price, this gem without flaw. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- There might still remain in her mind a changed association with him which made an irremediable difference--a lasting flaw. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- There was a formation of surface going on around her on an amazing scale, and it had not a flaw of courage or honest free speech in it. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- But there is one little flaw in your splendid theory. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- Do you not see some loophole, some flaw? Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- The flaw in this idea is that the affairs and interests of every modern community extend to the uttermost parts of the earth. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- It was a stumble on the threshold at starting--it was a flaw in the evidence which told fatally against us. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- The fact is that there is one really serious flaw in this evidence to which our friend attaches so much importance. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- HIS estimate (allowing for the flaw in the stone) was thirty thousand pounds. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- You can hardly find a flaw in the case which can now be presented against him, and all further investigation has served to strengthen it. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- Where the dexterity of the lawyers, eager to discover a flaw? Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- I said: Doctor, there is a flaw in your pronunciation somewhere. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- On the other hand, if the second case supposed were the true one, what had been the flaw in her reputation? Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- The first flaw in my happiness was the arrival of the red-moustached Mr. Woodley. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- But for the first time there was a flaw in his will. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- It was good logic, good, earthly, feminine logic, and if it satisfied her I certainly could pick no flaws in it. Edgar Rice Burroughs. A Princess of Mars.
- White specks and bubbles are common flaws, which vary in size and which may be best illustrated by looking at a pane of glass in your window. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- Whatever she had, she seemed to survey only to pick flaws in it; but, once fairly away, there was no end to her valuation of it. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- Inherent flaws can be perfectly understood by imagining a pond of water frozen solidly to its center. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- The brilliancy of the diamond hides these flaws when the diamond is clean, but when clouded with soap and dust these cavities fill up and show plainly. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- Of all these things I could have told the peculiarities, numbered the flaws or cracks, like any _clairvoyante_. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- Surface flaws consist of nicks or cavities in the face of the stone either above or below the girdle. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- A method of testing a magnet to ascertain the existence of flaws in the iron or steel composing the same. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
Edited by Barrett