fault

Dictionary definition · fault

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention"he made a bad mistake"
an imperfection in an object or machine"a flaw caused the crystal to shatter"
the quality of being inadequate or falling short of perfection"they discussed the merits and demerits of her novel"
(geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other"they built it right over a geological fault"
(electronics) equipment failure attributable to some defect in a circuit (loose connection or insulation failure or short circuit etc.)"it took much longer to find the fault than to fix it"
responsibility for a bad situation or event"it was John's fault"
(sports) a serve that is illegal (e.g., that lands outside the prescribed area)"he served too many double faults"

Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).