a mistake in thought, action, or decision
Maria realized she had made a tiny error in the recipe when the cake tasted too salty.
The teacher circled every error in the student's essay with a red pen.
a fault or problem that stops computer software or hardware from working correctly
A pop-up on screen warned of an error before the game crashed.
The developer spent hours tracking down the error in the code.
the difference between a measured or estimated value and the true, exact value
Scientists calculate the margin of error to show how accurate their results are.
A misaligned scale introduced a large error into the experiment.
in baseball, a fielding mistake that allows a batter or runner to advance when ordinary effort would have made an out
The crowd groaned when the shortstop's error cost the team a run.
He reached first base on an error by the third baseman.
someone who uses violence or threats against ordinary people to create fear and push political or ideological goals
The police arrested a terrorist who had planted bombs in the subway.
Many cities now have concrete barriers to protect crowds from a possible terrorist attack.
✦ from terror + -ist, first used in English in the late 18th century to describe supporters of the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution
a feeling of sudden, very great fear
The campers froze in terror when they heard a loud growl outside the tent.
Julia screamed in terror as the roller-coaster plunged down the steep track.
✦ From Latin terror “great fear,” from terrēre “to frighten.”
a person or thing that causes great fear
The huge spider was a terror to everyone in the cabin.
The dictator’s secret police were the real terror of the country.
(informal) a lively but naughty child who often causes trouble
My little brother is a real terror—he drew on the walls again!
The twins are sweet at school, but at home they’re holy terrors.
