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, …

ERR definition: to go astray in thought or belief; be mistaken; be incorrect. See examples of err used in a sentence.

to err is human (to forgive divine). It’s preferable to err on the side of caution (= to be too careful) rather than risk disaster. Instead of renting a large house, err on the side of a condo with …

3 meanings: 1. to make a mistake; be incorrect 2. to stray from the right course or accepted standards; sin 3. to act with.... Click for more definitions.

Definition of err verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

err be mistaken or incorrect; to go astray morally; sin; transgress: To err is human.

When you err, you make a mistake or do something wrong. When a newspaper reporter errs in a printed story, the paper often prints a correction the next day. By itself, err, which shares a …

to err on the side of, [~ + object] to act or behave in a certain way, and not its opposite: It is better to err on the side of punctuality (= It is better to be early than late).

To err on the side of something, such as caution, is to use or show more of it than may be needed so that you can be sure that you are using or showing enough of it.

Dec 14, 2025 · err (third-person singular simple present errs, present participle erring, simple past and past participle erred) (intransitive, formal) To make a mistake. quotations He erred in his …