err

/ɛr/

/ɛr/

Other forms: erring; erred; errs

When you err, you make a mistake or do something wrong. When a newspaper reporter errs in a printed story, the paper often prints a correction the next day.

By itself, err, which shares a Latin root with error, is a formal way to say "mess up." The proverb "To err is human, to forgive divine" is an old-fashioned version of "Hey, everyone makes mistakes. Why don't you be the bigger person and let it go?" Err can also mean to go in a certain direction, as in another common saying, "Err on the side of caution," or "Play it safe."

Definitions of err

1. verb

   make a mistake or be incorrect
   synonyms: mistake, slip

   types:

   misremember

   remember incorrectly

   slip up, stumble, trip up

   make an error

   misjudge

   judge incorrectly

   fall for

   be deceived, duped, or entrapped by

   underestimate, underrate

   make too low an estimate of

   overestimate, overrate

   make too high an estimate of

   miscalculate, misestimate

   judge incorrectly
2. verb

   wander from a direct course or at random
   synonyms: drift, stray

   cast, drift, ramble, range, roam, roll, rove, stray, swan, tramp, vagabond, wander

   move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

   type of:

   go, locomote, move, travel

   change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically