flawflaw /flɔː $ flɒː/ ●○○ noun [countable] 
a flaw in the softwareserious/major/basic/minor etc flaw a slight flaw in the glass A design flaw (=a mistake or weakness in the way something was made) caused the engine to explode.► see thesaurus at fault2a mistake or problem in an argument, plan, set of ideas etcflaw of Beautiful scenery does not make up for the flaws of this film.flaw in There is a fundamental flaw in Walton’s argument.fatal flaw (=a weakness that makes something certain to fail)3a fault in someone’s character: Jealousy is Othello’s major flaw. the president’s character flaws
WORD ORIGINflaw
Origin:
1300-1400 Perhaps from Old Norse flaga ‘flat stone’; ➔ FLAG1EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a character flaw
- It was half price because of a slight flaw.
- In this he was fatally handicapped by his own inconsistencies, paradoxes and deep personal flaws.
- One of the major flaws in the existing system is that the prosecutor has immunity from law suits claiming malicious prosecution.
- Regulatory agencies uncovered numerous flaws in operating and safety procedures.
- The Web browser is nice, but it also has its flaws.
- These transitions would not occur altogether smoothly - flaws would be created, like the planes and lines formed when water freezes.
- They were, in any case, fairly trivial flaws.
THESAURUSsomething wrong
a problem in a machine, system, design etc that causes damage or makes it not work properly: · The fire was caused by an electrical fault.· a fault in the engine
a fault in something such as a product or machine, resulting from the way it was made or designed: · Cars are tested for defects before they leave the factory.
a part of a plan, system, or argument that is not as good as the other parts, and makes it likely to fail: · What are the strengths and weaknesses of each method?
a fault in a plan, system, argument etc, especially one that makes it useless or not effective: · Your argument has a fundamental flaw.· There was one major flaw in his suggestion – we didn’t have enough money.
a fault in a computer program: · A bug in the system was quickly fixed.
a small fault in the way something works, that can usually be easily corrected: · I noticed a small glitch when installing the software.
something that is wrong in someone’s spelling, grammar, calculations etc: · The article was full of spelling mistakes.
used when saying that there is a problem in a machine, car etc, but you do not know what it is: · There’s something wrong with the computer – it won’t close down.
Longman Language Activatorsomething wrong with a machine, system, plan etc something wrong with one of the parts of a machine that prevents it from working properly: · Quality control staff are employed to check for any faults.fault in: · I think there's a fault in one of the loudspeakers.· The fault could be either in the tape or in the VCR.electrical/mechanical/technical etc fault: · The rocket launch was delayed because of a technical fault.
something wrong with a product or machine, especially caused by a mistake in the way it was made or designed: · All the computers are checked for defects before they leave the factory.defect in: · A defect in the braking system caused several accidents before the car was recalled.· Investigators found a defect in the design of the ship.
something that stops a machine or system from working normally: · Please call 5326 if you have any computer problems.problem with: · There seems to be some kind of problem with the heaters.problem in: · Engineers were unable to find the source of the problem in the spacecraft's cooling system.
something wrong with a machine, car etc, especially when you do not know exactly what is causing it: · If you have engine trouble, park as far to the side of the road as possible.have trouble: · If you used the same tape later and had no trouble with the picture, the problem is probably in the VCR.trouble with: · We've been having some trouble with the air-conditioning.the trouble (=the particular thing causing the problem): · I think we've found out what the trouble is.
something wrong with a plan, system, or set of ideas, which may make the whole thing useless or not effective: · His plan seemed foolproof, but I was sure there was a flaw somewhere.· The program has serious weaknesses, and I would avoid using it.flaw/weakness in: · There are several obvious flaws in his argument.· One major weakness in the study is that it is based on a very small sample.
a small problem in a computer or a computer system: · The program suffers from some minor bugs, but is still better than the first version.· Some chips contained a bug that caused computers to crash frequently.
a small fault in the way something works, that can usually be corrected easily: · As the glitches are found and corrected, the process is speeding up.glitch in: · A glitch in the system shut down the telephone service to nearly 6 million customers. technical/mechanical etc glitch: · NASA officials found a way to work around the technical glitch on the Galileo spacecraft.
a set of instructions that someone puts secretly into other people's computers, that can destroy information stored in them or stop them working correctly: · The disk was accidentally infected with a virus called "Stoned III".· Computer users from around the world reported that the virus had invaded their systems.· an anti-virus program
spoken say this when there is a problem in a machine, part of a car etc, but you do not know exactly what it is: · I think there's something wrong with the clutch in my car.· I don't know what's the matter with it, but I can't get it to work.· There are programs that will help you figure out what's wrong with your PC, and help you correct it.
a fault in someone's character a bad point in someone's character: · The secret of a good relationship is to accept the other person's faults, and not try to make them change.have his/her/their faults: · She's my best friend and I love her dearly, but she has her faults.for all his/her/their faults (=even though they have these faults): · For all his faults, he was a good father.
a small fault in someone's character or a lack of a good quality such as courage or good judgement: · The flaw that leads to Othello's downfall is his jealousy.· The biographer believes that flaws in Kennedy's character weakened his leadership of the nation.· Despite his weaknesses, he was a fair man.
the faults in someone's character - use this especially when you are saying that the person has good qualities too: · He acknowledged his own shortcomings, including at times being stubborn and a little vain.· Whatever his shortcomings, Hamilton was one of the great men in American history.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a slight flaw in the glass A design flaw (=a mistake or weakness in the way something was made) caused the engine to explode. There is a fundamental flaw in Walton’s argument. There was one fatal flaw (=serious weakness) in his argument. Bolton’s idea was fatally flawed.
1a mistake, mark, or weakness that makes something imperfect SYN defectflaw in a slight flaw in the glass A design flaw (=a mistake or weakness in the way something was made) caused the engine to explode. There is a fundamental flaw in Walton’s argument. (=a weakness that makes something certain to fail)
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=a part of something that does not work well or look good)· If a washing-machine makes too much noise, it’s a design fault.
There was one fatal flaw (=serious weakness) in his argument. Bolton’s idea was fatally flawed. (=fault that makes something imperfect)· There is a fundamental flaw in the current tax system.
(=having a bad weakness or fault)· From the outset, this project was seriously flawed.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· Even if we accept the underlying private enterprise philosophy of Making Belfast Work, some basic flaws exist.· It is always useful to consider ways to overcome any basic flaws in an evaluation procedure.· If hon. Members plan to refer to that document, it would be helpful if they addressed its basic flaws.
· His reconstruction of the crimes had suffered from one fatal flaw.· Many have argued that one of the fatal flaws a manager can have is unwillingness or inability to delegate.· False percentages A fatal flaw in using percentages is to try and add them up when this is not really possible.· She warns of thirst for knowledge tipping over into dangerous greed, and of youthful promise lost for one fatal flaw.· The Arts: The curse of having good taste Joe Boyd has a fatal flaw: he has taste.· But there is a fatal flaw in such policies: they assume that all cultures are equal in power.· Yet yesterday's report, which highlighted fatal flaws in the system, showed that was clearly not the case.· There were three fatal flaws to the Chancellor's strategy.
· I think you may have a fundamental flaw in your thought processes.· It attacks the fundamental flaws and loopholes in the campaign finance regulatory system adopted in the wake of the Watergate scandal.· However, those exemptions and discounts merely reinforce the fundamental flaw at the centre of the council tax.· Some people see this as a fundamental flaw in the whole theory of the blind watchmaker.· But there were two fundamental flaws in the Covenant.· Partnership is one of the fundamental flaws of football.
· There was one major flaw in this inspired scheme, no Provision was made for maintenance or replacement.· One of the major flaws in the existing system is that the prosecutor has immunity from law suits claiming malicious prosecution.· Some top cops say this terrifying news exposes major flaws in the current register system.· With these words of faint praise, Maskelyne tactfully conceded a few major flaws in the lunar distance method.· In the post-war period some democratic elitists detected a major flaw in this notion of bureaucratic rationality.· The example also serves to expose the major flaw in Kleinig's account.· On the issue of tempered curiosity, we encounter one of the major flaws, by modern standards, of the Presocratics.
· Though the court view is rendered well and rotates smoothly, there is one minor flaw.
· However, this analogy possesses two serious flaws.· In general, any new cryptosystem could harbor serious flaws that are discovered only after years of scrutiny by cryptographers.· Expert reveals serious flaws in museum and gallery security.· Globalisation, accelerated by the internet, is exposing serious flaws in the world's tax systems.· Remember your ideas may have a serious flaw.· The Maastricht process contains a serious logical flaw.· Critics have, however, found serious flaws in the whole approach.· Similarly, a model in which a market is identified and then the technology sought to fill it also has serious flaws.
NOUN· But he knows about this tiny character flaw, and is working on it.· And they just said that I was really defensive; that was a character flaw, so I needed more hospitalization.· The ads trumpet the idea that anxiety and depression result from imbalances in brain biochemistry, not from character flaws.
· No one is saying there is a design flaw in the Boeing 757.
VERB· Some top cops say this terrifying news exposes major flaws in the current register system.· It exposes flaws and loopholes; and, by analysis, contradictions are highlighted and the limitations of proposals are exposed.· Globalisation, accelerated by the internet, is exposing serious flaws in the world's tax systems.· The example also serves to expose the major flaw in Kleinig's account.· The markets have exposed the fatal flaw of Margaret Thatcher's government.· The 25 percent. discount is another concession that exposes flaws in the tax.
· When Athene came to inspect the work she could find no flaw there.· To be sure, some geologists have found flaws in certain parts of the theory, but few reject it entirely.
a flaw in the softwareserious/major/basic/minor etc flaw a slight flaw in the glass A design flaw (=a mistake or weakness in the way something was made) caused the engine to explode.► see thesaurus at fault2a mistake or problem in an argument, plan, set of ideas etcflaw of Beautiful scenery does not make up for the flaws of this film.flaw in There is a fundamental flaw in Walton’s argument.fatal flaw (=a weakness that makes something certain to fail)3a fault in someone’s character: Jealousy is Othello’s major flaw. the president’s character flaws