What does "flaw" mean?
Flaw: A defect; a fault; as, a flaw in reputation; a flaw in a will, in a deed, or in a statute. Has not this also its flaws and its dark side South.
Additional senses
- 2.A sudden burst of noise and disorder; a tumult; uproar; a quarrel. [Obs.] And deluges of armies from the town Came pouring in; I heard the mighty flaw. Dryden.
- 3.A sudden burst or gust of wind of short duration. Snow, and hail, and stormy gust and flaw. Milton. Like flaws in summer laying lusty corn. Tennyson.
- 4.To crack; to make flaws in. The brazen caldrons with the frosts are flawed. Dryden.
- 5.To break; to violate; to make of no effect. [Obs.] France hath flawed the league. Shak.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00