verb
err
AIR/er/
To make a mistake in action or judgment.
The student has erred in placing the puzzle piece and now corrects it.
Etymology
Latin errare meant to wander or go astray and already also meant to be in error. Making a mistake is thus pictured as straying from the right path.
In context
Reason’s natural growth and motion is upward, not downward; forward, not backward; and they who flout reason terribly err, because they will not permit her to do that vital work which lies within her power.
More examples
- I erred in assuming everyone had received the email.
- The report errs by treating estimates as established facts.
- We err on the side of caution when planning winter trips.
Forms
Similar words
- misjudge
- Specifically means judging incorrectly, rather than making mistakes generally.
- blunder
- Suggests making a careless or obvious mistake, often with serious consequences.