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Is it human to err?
Many people are familiar with the word err from encountering it in the epigram “to err is human; to forgive, divine.” This phrase is found in Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism, from 1711. Earlier expressions of the same sentiment exist, as in Thomas Jones’ 1678 book, Of the Heart, and its Right Soveraign, which contains the line “to err, is human, to recover, is Angelical; to persevere is Diabolical.”
Err is also often found in the phrase err on the side of caution, to suggest that being overly cautious is better than not being cautious enough.
Err stems from the Latin word errare, meaning “to stray, wander,” and it retained that meaning when it first entered English. We find the same Latin ancestor at the root of the words error, erratic, and erroneous.
Examples of err in a Sentence
Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2025
But on Tuesday, MSG’s attorney Damien Marshall wrote a letter to Sullivan saying that Oakley erred by relying on Barnes.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 May 2025
An Ohio appeals court declared Tuesday that a portion of a 2023 law banning gender-affirming medical care for minors is unconstitutional, ruling that a lower court erred in deciding the law does not infringe on the rights of parents or violate parts of the state’s constitution.
—Brooke Migdon, The Hill, 18 Mar. 2025
The court’s opinion did not address the merits of the argument, but only found that the lower district court erred by giving an injunction when there was no evidence of irreparable harm to the union.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for err
Cite this Entry
“Err.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/err. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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err
intransitive verb
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