From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishflawflaw /flɔː $ flɒː/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 FAULT/something WRONGa mistake, mark, or weakness that makes something imperfect SYN defectflaw in a flaw in the softwareserious/major/basic/minor etc flaw a slight flaw in the glass A design flaw (=a mistake or weakness in the way something was made) caused the engine to explode.► see thesaurus at fault2 FAULT/something WRONGa mistake or problem in an argument, plan, set of ideas etcflaw of Beautiful scenery does not make up for the flaws of this film.flaw in There is a fundamental flaw in Walton’s argument.fatal flaw (=a weakness that makes something certain to fail)3 FAULT/something WRONGa fault in someone’s character Jealousy is Othello’s major flaw. the president’s character flaws
Examples from the Corpus
flaw• a character flaw• The Web browser is nice, but it also has its flaws.• One of the major flaws in the existing system is that the prosecutor has immunity from law suits claiming malicious prosecution.• Regulatory agencies uncovered numerous flaws in operating and safety procedures.• In this he was fatally handicapped by his own inconsistencies, paradoxes and deep personal flaws.• It was half price because of a slight flaw.• These transitions would not occur altogether smoothly - flaws would be created, like the planes and lines formed when water freezes.• They were, in any case, fairly trivial flaws.design flaw• No one is saying there is a design flaw in the Boeing 757.• But the $ 86 billion F-22 program has been plagued with mismanagement, design flaws and soaring costs.fatal flaw• But there is a fatal flaw in such policies: they assume that all cultures are equal in power.• False percentages A fatal flaw in using percentages is to try and add them up when this is not really possible.• Still and all, these are familiar, far-from-fatal flaws typical of a first feature.• Yet yesterday's report, which highlighted fatal flaws in the system, showed that was clearly not the case.• She warns of thirst for knowledge tipping over into dangerous greed, and of youthful promise lost for one fatal flaw.• His reconstruction of the crimes had suffered from one fatal flaw.• Many have argued that one of the fatal flaws a manager can have is unwillingness or inability to delegate.From Longman Business Dictionaryflawflaw /flɔːflɒː/ noun [countable]1a mistake or weakness in a machine, system etc that prevents it from working correctlyflaw inThe drought exposed a serious flaw in the dam.Investigators believe that a design flaw (=mistake or weakness in the way something was made) in the reactor’s cooling system caused the accident.The space telescope had a fundamental flaw (=a very basic and serious one) in one of its two mirrors.2a mistake in an argument, plan, or set of ideasflaw inSmall banks are missing from the plan and this is the main flaw in the Treasury’s approach.There’s a fatal flaw (=serious weakness which makes something wrong) in their logic.Origin flaw (1300-1400) Perhaps from Old Norse flaga “flat stone”; → FLAG1 