flaw
English · Thesaurus
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flaw¹
- /flɔː/ UK
- /floː/ Australia, British, New Zealand
- /flɔ/ US
- /flɑ/ US, cot caught merger
- /flɔ/ Scotland
Sounds like floor (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) · Rhymes with -ɔː
Where it comes from
From Middle English flawe, flay (“a flake of fire or snow, spark, splinter”), probably from Old Norse flaga (“a flag or slab of stone, flake”), from Proto-Germanic *flagō (“a layer of soil”), from Proto-Indo-European *plok- (“broad, flat”).
Cognate with Icelandic flaga (“flake”), Swedish flaga (“flake, scale”), Danish flage (“flake”), Middle Low German vlage (“a layer of soil”), Old English flōh (“a fragment, piece”).
noun flaws
- A flake, fragment, or shiver.
- A thin cake, as of ice.
- A crack or breach, a gap or fissure; a defect of continuity or cohesion. There is a flaw in that knife.
-
A defect, fault, or imperfection, especially one that is hidden.
Has not this also its flaws and its dark side?
Similar: vice
-
An inclusion, stain, or other defect of a diamond or other gemstone.
Similar: vice
-
A defect or error in a contract or other document which may make the document invalid or ineffective.
a flaw in a will, in a deed, or in a statute
Similar: vice
verb flaws · flawing · flawed
- To add a flaw to, to make imperfect or defective.
- To become imperfect or defective; to crack or break.
flaw²
- /ˈflɔː/
Rhymes with -ɔː
Where it comes from
From Middle English *flaugh, from Middle Dutch vlāghe or Middle Low German vlāge, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *flagā. Or, possibly of North Germanic origin, from Swedish flaga (“gust of wind”), from Old Norse flaga; all from Proto-Germanic *flagǭ (“blow, strike”). See modern Dutch vlaag (“gust of wind”).
noun flaws · flawe
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: blemish, fault, defect, chink, hack, slit, crack, gash, cut, rift, gap, breach, crash, notch, breakdown, hole
Translations
Every language
noun defect, fault
| Español | imperfección, desperfecto, pega |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 결점 gyeoljeom |
| 日本語 | 欠点 kekkan, 瑕疵 kashi |
| 中文 | 瑕疵 xiácī, 毛病 máobìng, 缺陷 quēxiàn |
| Português | falha, defeito, erro |
| Français | faille, défaut |
| Deutsch | Makel, Fehler, Macke, Schwachstelle, Schlupfloch |
| Italiano | difetto, errore, imperfezione |
| Română | cusur, defect, hibă |
| Русский | изъя́н izʺján, недоста́ток nedostátok, поро́к porók, брак brak, дефе́кт defékt |
| العربية | عَيْب ʕayb |
noun crack or breach
| Español | falla |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ひび hibi |
| 中文 | 疵 cī |
| Português | falha, defeito |
| Français | défaut, fissure |
| Deutsch | Sprung, Riss, Absplitterung, Schaden |
| Italiano | fessura, cricca, crepa |
| Română | spărtură, fisură, încălcare |
| Русский | тре́щина tréščina, щель ščelʹ, поро́к porók |
noun defect in a gemstone
| Español | defecto |
|---|---|
| Français | crapaud |
| Deutsch | Makel |
| Italiano | imperfezione, difetto |
verb to add a flaw to
| Deutsch | beschädigen, verschlechtern |
|---|---|
| Русский | по́ртить pórtitʹ, испо́ртить ispórtitʹ, поврежда́ть povreždátʹ, повреди́ть povredítʹ |
verb to become imperfect
| Deutsch | Schaden nehmen, sich verschlechtern |
|---|---|
| Русский | поврежда́ться povreždátʹsja, повреди́ться povredítʹsja |
noun burst of wind
| Français | bourrasque |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Windbö, Windstoß, Bö |
| Русский | шквал škval, поры́в ве́тра porýv vétra |
noun burst of noise
| Français | tumulte |
|---|
Talk about this word "flaw." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/flaw. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. flaw. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/flaw "flaw." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/flaw.Cite this
@misc{flaw_2026,
title = {flaw},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/flaw},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
