default

Everyday

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

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 →
• Change the default password to keep your account safe. tree →
• We won the match by default because the other team didn't turn up. tree →
• If you don't choose a colour, the game picks blue by default. tree →
• The company defaulted on its loan and the bank took the building. tree →
• The printer always defaults to black and white. tree →
• My default lunch is a cheese sandwich. tree →
• When nobody volunteered, Sam became the leader by default. tree →
• 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 →

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.