default

«default» in Mova's school dictionary: The setting or choice that a computer, phone or game uses… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (default, defaults); verb (default, defaults, defaulted, defaulting); adjective (default)

meaning for a pupil

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 →

sense 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.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «default» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.