default

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Failure to perform a task or fulfill an obligation, especially failure to meet a financial obligation: in default on a loan.
2. n. Law Failure to make a required court appearance.
3. n. The failure of one or more competitors or teams to participate in a contest: won the championship by default.
4. n. Computer Science A particular setting or value for a variable that is assigned automatically by an operating system and remains in effect unless canceled or overridden by the operator: changed the default for the font in the word processing program.
5. n. A situation or condition that obtains in the absence of active intervention.
6. v. To fail to do what is required.
7. v. To fail to pay money when it is due.
8. v. Law To fail to appear in court when summoned.
9. v. Law To lose a case by not appearing.
10. v. To fail to take part in or complete a scheduled contest.
11. v. To fail to perform or pay.
12. v. Law To lose (a case) by failing to appear in court.
13. v. To fail to take part in or complete (a contest, for example).
14. idiom. in default of Through the failure, absence, or lack of.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A failing or failure; an omission of that which ought to be done; neglect to do what duty, obligation, or law requires; specifically, in law, a failure to perform a required act in a lawsuit within the required time, as to plead or appear in court, or omission to meet a pecuniary obligation when due.
2. n. Lack; want; failure; defect.
3. n. A fault; an offense; a misdeed; a wrong act.
4. n. In hunting, a lost scent.
5. To fail in fulfilling or satisfying an engagement, claim, or obligation; especially, to fail in meeting a legal or pecuniary obligation at the proper time, as appearance in court, the payment of a debt, or the accounting for funds intrusted to one's care: as, a defaulting defendant or debtor; he has defaulted on his bond, or in his trust.
6. To fail in duty; offend.
7. To omit; neglect.
8. To fail in the performance of.
9. In law, to declare (a defendant) in default and enter judgment against (him).

Wiktionary

1. n. finance The condition of failing to meet an obligation.
2. n. electronics, computing the original software programming settings as set by the factory
3. n. A loss incurred by failing to compete.
4. n. A selection made in the absence of an alternative.
5. n. A value used when none has been given; a tentative value or standard that is presumed.
6. n. law The failure of a defendant to appear and answer a summons and complaint.
7. v. intransitive To fail to meet an obligation.
8. v. intransitive To lose a competition by failing to compete.
9. v. intransitive, computing To assume a value when none was given; to presume a tentative value or standard.
10. v. intransitive, law To fail to appear and answer a summons and complaint.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A failing or failure; omission of that which ought to be done; neglect to do what duty or law requires.
2. n. Fault; offense; ill deed; wrong act; failure in virtue or wisdom.
3. n. (Law) A neglect of, or failure to take, some step necessary to secure the benefit of law, as a failure to appear in court at a day assigned, especially of the defendant in a suit when called to make answer; also of jurors, witnesses, etc.
4. v. To fail in duty; to offend.
5. v. To fail in fulfilling a contract, agreement, or duty.
6. v. To fail to appear in court; to let a case go by default.
7. v. To fail to perform or pay; to be guilty of neglect of; to omit.
8. v. (Law) To call a defendant or other party whose duty it is to be present in court, and make entry of his default, if he fails to appear; to enter a default against.
9. v. obsolete To leave out of account; to omit.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. loss resulting from failure of a debt to be paid
2. v. fail to pay up
3. n. an option that is selected automatically unless an alternative is specified
4. n. loss due to not showing up
5. n. act of failing to meet a financial obligation