flaw

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈflȯ 

1

a

: a defect in physical structure or form

a diamond with a flaw

b

: an imperfection or weakness and especially one that detracts from the whole or hinders effectiveness

Vanity was the one flaw in his character.

There are a few flaws in your argument.

a flaw in the book's plot

2

obsolete : fragment

flaw

2 of 3

verb

flawed; flawing; flaws

transitive verb

: to make flaws in : mar

intransitive verb

: to become defective

flaw

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: a sudden brief burst of wind

… the wind changed with flaws from westward …

—Archibald MacLeish

also : a spell of stormy weather

2

obsolete : an outburst especially of passion

Synonyms of flaw

Noun (1)

• defect
• blotch
• scar

Verb

• damage
• mar
• compromise
• injure
• cripple
• hurt

Examples of flaw in a Sentence

Noun (1)

noted the flaw in the diamond before I bought it

Verb

that crack has flawed the vase to the extent that its value in the antiques market is greatly reduced

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hours were spent on Zoom calls with Garden (based in England) poring over match film on Wyscout, Olsson quick to point out the flaws and areas of improvement and Garden quicker to point out the strengths. —Megan Feringa, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026

Marquis later filed a lawsuit against its firewall provider, SonicWall, claiming that a security flaw may have allowed attackers to steal critical configuration files. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026

Verb

But for someone who was already coming into the job with plenty of skepticism, leading a roster flawed enough to add premium fuel (at roughly the same cost) to that fire, has a second series of the season ever felt this desperately important? —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026

In addition to the pious, persevering Goma and flawed Chandravati in the mortal realm, in the divine realm there are the goddesses Sati and her reincarnation as Parvati. —Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

Middle English, flake, from Old Norse flaga stone slab, moldar flaga thin layer of turf; akin to Old English flōh flat stone

Noun (2)

of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian flaga gust, squall

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1610, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing flaw

• tragic flaw

Rhymes for flaw

• aah
• ah
• ahh
• aw
• awe
• bah
• blah
• bra
• caw
• claw
• craw
• daw

Kids Definition

flaw

1 of 2 noun

ˈflȯ 

: a small often hidden defect

flawless

-ləs

adjective

flawlessly adverb

flawlessness noun

flaw

2 of 2 verb

: to make or become defective