Meanings
err1
present singular third person errs · participle present erring · participle past erred · past erred
- formalintransitiveTo make a mistake.
He erred in his calculations, and made many mistakes.
2 more examples
Artificial tests, then, can hardly err on the side of supplying too many opportunities for one bird to see another perform the act which is the model.
1910, James P. Porter, chapter 2, in Intelligence and Imitation in Birds; A Criterion of Imitation, page 7Gorbachev’s phrase, “fear to err,” is strikingly reminiscent of President Roosevelt’s phrase, “nothing to fear but fear itself.”
1989, L[eften] S[tavros] Stavrianos, Lifelines from Our Past: A New World History, New York: Pantheon Books, →ISBN, page 211 - archaicto stray.
err2
- Elongated form of er (“sound of hesitation”).
Err... what did you just say?
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁ers-“to be angry, lose one's temper”
- Latinerrō“wander, stray, err, mistake”
- Old Frencherrer“to wander, err, mistake”
- Middle Englisherren
- Englisherr
From Middle English erren, from Old French errer (“to wander, err, mistake”), from Latin errō (“wander, stray, err, mistake”, verb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ers- (“to be angry, lose one's temper”). Cognate with Old English eorre, ierre (“anger, wrath, ire”), Old English iersian (“to be angry with, rage, irritate, provoke”), Old English ierre (“wandering, gone astray, confused”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic غَلِطَ, أَخْطَأَ
- غَلِطَ (ḡaliṭa)make a mistake
- أَخْطَأَ (ʔaḵṭaʔa)make a mistake
Bulgarian греша́, заблужда́вам се
- греша́ (grešá)make a mistake
- заблужда́вам се (zabluždávam se)make a mistake
- допу́скам гре́шка (dopúskam gréška)make a mistake
- допу́сна гре́шка (dopúsna gréška)make a mistake
Catalan equivocar, errar
- equivocarmake a mistake
- errarmake a mistake
Chinese Mandarin 犯錯 /犯错, 做錯 /做错
- 犯錯 /犯错 (fàncuò)make a mistake
- 做錯 /做错 (zuòcuò)make a mistake
- 走眼 (zǒuyǎn)make a mistake
Czech chybovat, chybit
- chybovatmake a mistake
- chybitmake a mistake
- mýlit semake a mistake
Danish fejle
- fejlemake a mistake
Dutch een fout maken, een vergissing maken
- een fout makenmake a mistake
- een vergissing makenmake a mistake
- zich vergissenmake a mistake
- dwalenmake a mistake
Esperanto erari
- erarimake a mistake
Finnish erehtyä, tehdä virhe
- erehtyämake a mistake
- tehdä virhemake a mistake
- mokatamake a mistake
- tyriämake a mistake
- haksahtaamake a mistake
- kämmätämake a mistake
- munatamake a mistake
- möhlätämake a mistake
- töpätämake a mistake
French se tromper, errer
- se trompermake a mistake
- errermake a mistake
German irren, sich irren
- irrenmake a mistake
- sich irrenmake a mistake
- Fehler machenmake a mistake
Hebrew שגה
- שגה (shagá)make a mistake
Hindi ग़लती करना
- ग़लती करना (ġaltī karnā)make a mistake
Hungarian téved
- tévedmake a mistake
Italian errare, sbagliare
- erraremake a mistake
- sbagliaremake a mistake
Japanese 間違える
- 間違える (machigaeru)make a mistake
Korean 잘못하다, 틀리다
- 잘못하다 (jalmothada)make a mistake
- 틀리다 (teullida)make a mistake
Latin errō
- errōmake a mistake
Persian اشتباه کردن, خطا کردن
- اشتباه کردن (eštebâh kardan)make a mistake
- خطا کردن (xatâ kardan)make a mistake
Polish mylić się, pomylić się
- mylić sięmake a mistake
- pomylić sięmake a mistake
- popełniać błądmake a mistake
- popełnić błądmake a mistake
- błądzićmake a mistake
- zbłądzićmake a mistake
Portuguese errar
- errarmake a mistake
Romanian greși, se înșela
- greșimake a mistake
- se înșelamake a mistake
Russian ошиба́ться, ошиби́ться
- ошиба́ться (ošibátʹsja)make a mistake
- ошиби́ться (ošibítʹsja)make a mistake
- допуска́ть оши́бку (dopuskátʹ ošíbku)make a mistake
- допусти́ть оши́бку (dopustítʹ ošíbku)make a mistake
- заблужда́ться (zabluždátʹsja)make a mistake
Slovak mýliť sa
- mýliť samake a mistake
Spanish errar, equivocarse
- errarmake a mistake
- equivocarsemake a mistake
- marrarmake a mistake
Swedish fela, göra misstag
- felamake a mistake
- göra misstagmake a mistake
Thai ทำผิด
- ทำผิด (tam-pìt)make a mistake
Turkish yanılmak, hata yapmak
- yanılmakmake a mistake
- hata yapmakmake a mistake
- yanlış yapmakmake a mistake
Ukrainian помиля́тися, помили́тися
- помиля́тися (pomyljátysja)make a mistake
- помили́тися (pomylýtysja)make a mistake
Urdu غلطی کرنا
- غلطی کرنا (ġaltī karnā)make a mistake
Vietnamese phạm lỗi
- phạm lỗimake a mistake
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with err
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
err. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/err
“err.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/err. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “err,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/err.
Source: err on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.