From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_716_zerrorer‧ror /ˈerə $ ˈerər/ ●●● S3 W2 AWL noun 1 MISTAKE[countable, uncountable] a mistakeerror in There must be an error in our calculations.► see thesaurus at mistakeRegisterError is rather formal and is mainly used when talking about computers or in some fixed expressions such as human error. In everyday English, people usually use mistake:There must be a mistake somewhere.2 [countable] a mistake when you are working on a computer, which means that the computer program cannot do what you want it to do an error message3 → error of judgment4 → be in error5 → do something in error6 → see the error of your ways → trial and error at trial1(4)COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2verbsmake an errorWe made too many errors, and that cost us the game.commit an error formal (=make an error, especially a serious one)He knew he had committed a grave error of judgement.have/contain an errorIf the data contains errors, the results will be wrong.find/spot/notice an errorHis accountant spotted several errors in his tax return.realize your errorBy the time she realized her error, it was too late.correct an error (also rectify an error formal)We will rectify the error as soon as possible.avoid errorsHe resolved to learn from his mistakes and avoid similar errors in the future.compound an error (=make it worse)He refused to listen to our advice, which compounded the error.an error arises/occurs formal (=happens)If an error occurs, you will have two more chances to re-enter your password.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + errora common errora common error which students often make when writing essaysa serious/bad errorThe police made a serious error, which resulted in a young man’s death.a small/minor errorThe letter contained some minor spelling errors.a glaring error (=very bad and very noticeable)There is a glaring error on page 10, where his date of death is given as 2053, not 1003.a huge/monumental error (=very serious)It was a monumental error to attack from the north.a grave error (=extremely serious, with serious results)He has committed a grave error.a fatal error (=extremely serious, so that you are certain to fail)Telling your staff they are not important is a fatal error.an unfortunate errorAn unfortunate error resulted in confidential information being released to the press.a grammatical/spelling/typing errorYou lose marks if your paper contains spelling errors.a clerical/administrative errorThe applications forms were sent to the wrong addresses due to a clerical error.a factual error (=which includes a fact that is wrong)The article contains many factual errors.a tactical error (=one that may cause a plan to fail)Both parties have made tactical errors in the run-up to the election.a random error (=one that is not like others or part of a pattern)This may seem like a random error, but in fact it is repeated once in every 5,000 samples.human error (=errors made by people)Automatic checks reduce the danger of human error.computer errorAn on-board computer error meant that the plane’s systems shut down for a few vital seconds.pilot/driver errorInvestigators believe the crash was caused by pilot error.somebody’s past errors formalIf we fail to learn from our past errors, we are doomed to repeat them.phrasesa margin of error (=the degree to which a calculation might be wrong)We have to allow for a small margin of error in the calculations.
Examples from the Corpus
error• There seems to be an error in the data.• If the information entered into any field is invalid, an error message will be displayed at the foot of the page.• Whenever I try to enter the data the computer gives me an error window.• "It says in this advertisement that the exhibition opens at 10." "That's an error."• Nobody really knows how Dionysius made such an error.• An error occurred in the processing of your application.• Until recently, their quest for the next best seller drug relied wholly on laborious physical trial and error.• Over 50 people were denied a vote through a computer error.• The report concluded that the accident was caused by human error.• The text is disfigured by irritating errors and sloppy proofreading.• So we shall have copies of errors being duplicated in the population.• a spelling error• The objective is to adjust weights so that the error in the output layer is reduced.• She made very few typing errors.• Similarly, we may say that merely verbal errors can be corrected in standard ways.error message• If you return to this field, an error message is displayed at the foot of the screen.• We got an error message, indicating there was no dial tone.• If not, an error message is printed.• If you receive an error message, try again.• The first thing to do is make a careful note of any error messages you get.• It is used to identify the sentence in both error messages and for objects that can be merged into canvass documents.• Many who signed on later in the day were turned away with blank screens or error messages.• The error messages will provide the most helpful clues for tracking elusive addresses.From Longman Business Dictionaryerrorer‧ror /ˈerəˈerər/ noun [countable]1a mistakeThe confusion was the result of a computer error.The company has made some strategic errors.2COMMERCE errors and omissions excepted used in formal documents to say that mistakes and things that have been forgotten should also be taken into accountOrigin error (1200-1300) Old French errour, from Latin error, from errare; → ERR 