1
a
: a defect in physical structure or form
a diamond with a flaw
b
: an imperfection or weakness and especially one that detracts from the whole or hinders effectiveness
vanity was the flaw in his character
a flaw in the book's plot
2
obsolete
: fragment
flawed; flawing; flaws
: to become defective
1
: a sudden brief burst of wind
the wind changed with flaws from westward—
Archibald MacLeish
Archibald MacLeish
also
: a spell of stormy weather
2
obsolete
: an outburst especially of passion
Examples of flaw in a Sentence
Noun (1)
noted the flaw in the diamond before I bought it
Verb
that crack has flawed the vase to the extent that its value in the antiques market is greatly reduced
Recent Examples on the Web
Ted Ladd, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
This challenges your thinking and awakens curiosity to understand why your assumptions might be flawed.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 July 2025
The Washington Post, which first reported the hacks, said unidentified actors in the past few days had exploited a flaw to launch an attack that targeted US and international agencies and businesses.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for flaw
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Verb
But recent high-profile failures—facial recognition systems that couldn’t recognize dark-skinned faces, loan algorithms that penalized women, language models that hallucinate references—have underscored that AI can be deeply flawed.
—Ted Ladd, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
This challenges your thinking and awakens curiosity to understand why your assumptions might be flawed.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Noun
Though this adaptation is probably beneficial to survival in some ways, the ability to be tricked is also evidence of a flaw in the way the brain processes information, study co-author Yuzuru Ikeda, a researcher at the University of the Ryukyus in Japan, tells New Scientist.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 July 2025
The Washington Post, which first reported the hacks, said unidentified actors in the past few days had exploited a flaw to launch an attack that targeted US and international agencies and businesses.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for flaw
Cite this Entry
“Flaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaw. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flaw
1 of 2 noun
: a small often hidden defect
flawless
adjective
-ləs
flawlessly
adverb
flawlessness
noun
flaw
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become defective
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