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Glite Dictionary
to err

to err

50 5.5
To make a mistake
  • verb
  • /ɪr/
translation icon : equivocarse
  • In those circumstances, it would therefore be appropriate for a court to err on the side of protection.
  • err on the side of caution
  • tend to err
  • the court erred

Because we suffer, we acknowledge we have erred.

Examples

  • And so I would rather err on the side of vulnerability.

  • MICKEY: I don't think so, but I like to err on the side of caution.

    The Gentlemen (2020)

  • So for now, many countries with the funds on hands have decided to err on the side of doing too much.

  • And so I suppose that for them, I err a little bit too much on the side of being in your face.

  • All he knew was that he had to err on the side of using too much.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • And it's always best to err on the side of caution.

  • And you really, really want to err on the side of caution.

  • For Hugh, it is always better to err on the side of mercy and compassion.

    Academic text (2008)

  • "I have a tendency to err on the side of caution," von Deitzberg said.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • When preparing for the exam, it is better to err on the side of studying too much rather than too little.

Synonyms

to slip
vsto err
295 3.0

To forget something by accident

is the neutral term for being incorrect without implying accident or carelessness
to mistake
vsto err
37 1.0

To be wrong in what you think or do

is the broader general word for being incorrect without examples
to miscue
vsto err
1 7.4

To make a small mistake when trying to do something, for example in sport or speech

is the general sense of being incorrect beyond failed intended actions

Antonyms

correct
∞ 1.0

True and free from mistakes

How Wrong

to blunder
7 4.4
to err
50 5.5
to misjudge
6 3.9

Surface Forms

err infinitive
erring present participle
errs third person singular
errd past
erred past participle

Etymology

Err comes from the Latin verb errare, which means 'to wander' or 'to stray'. So, to err is like 'wandering' from the right path, which is why it now means 'to make a mistake' and is the same root as error.