- to make a mistake; be incorrect
- to stray from the right course or accepted standards; sin
- to act with bias, esp favourable bias: to err on the side of justice
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
err•ing
(ûr′ing, er′-),USA pronunciation adj.
err′ing•ly, adv.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- going astray;
in error;
wrong. - sinning.
- 1300–50; Middle English; replacing Middle English errand. See err, -ing2
err /ɜr, ɛr/USA pronunciation
v. [no object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to be mistaken or incorrect;
make an error:Banks rarely err in computing your balance.
- to err on the side of, [~ + object] to act or behave in a certain way, and not its opposite:It is better to err on the side of punctuality (= It is better to be early than late).
err
(ûr, er),USA pronunciation v.i.
err′a•bil′i•ty, n.
err′a•ble, adj.
- to go astray in thought or belief;
be mistaken;
be incorrect. - to go astray morally;
sin:To err is human. - [Archaic.]to deviate from the true course, aim, or purpose.
- Latin errāre; akin to Gothic airzjan, Old High German irrôn, German irren
- Old French errer
- Middle English erren 1275–1325
err′a•ble, adj.
- 2. transgress, lapse.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
err /ɜː/ vb (intransitive)
'erring' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):