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Is it human to err?
Many people are familiar with the word err from encountering it in the epigram “to err is human; to forgive, divine.” This phrase is found in Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism, from 1711. Earlier expressions of the same sentiment exist, as in Thomas Jones’ 1678 book, Of the Heart, and its Right Soveraign, which contains the line “to err, is human, to recover, is Angelical; to persevere is Diabolical.”
Err is also often found in the phrase err on the side of caution, to suggest that being overly cautious is better than not being cautious enough.
Err stems from the Latin word errare, meaning “to stray, wander,” and it retained that meaning when it first entered English. We find the same Latin ancestor at the root of the words error, erratic, and erroneous.
Examples of err in a Sentence
Scott Mautz, Contributor, CNBC, 22 Mar. 2025
In 2023, Kuiper signed a deal to make launches with SpaceX, several months after Amazon shareholders brought a lawsuit alleging the company had erred by contracting much of its capacity from Blue Origin.
—Ars Technica, 5 Mar. 2025
The city’s submission to the state erred on the council’s instructions as far as building height restrictions near some buffer zones.
—Jonathan Horwitz, Orange County Register, 29 Jan. 2025
His partner, Evan Bouchard, erred on the first and second goals against, too.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for err
Cite this Entry
“Err.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/err. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
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err
intransitive verb
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