as in defect
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
noted the flaw in the diamond before I bought it
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as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
that crack has flawed the vase to the extent that its value in the antiques market is greatly reduced
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Examples of flaw in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Patrick Wingrove, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024
The stiffness of the denim turned out to be a feature, not a flaw.
—Sarah Chiwaya, refinery29.com, 4 Sep. 2024
Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
That task is challenging, regardless of who’s in the White House because the federal government’s metrics for identifying at-risk private colleges have long been flawed.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flaw 
Noun
The flaw, which is rooted in an effort to ensure the drugs are traceable and safe, is exacerbated by patchy regulation by health authorities globally.
—Patrick Wingrove, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024
The stiffness of the denim turned out to be a feature, not a flaw.
—Sarah Chiwaya, refinery29.com, 4 Sep. 2024
Verb
That task though is challenging no matter who's in the White House because the federal government's metrics for identifying at-risk private colleges have long been flawed.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
That task is challenging, regardless of who’s in the White House because the federal government’s metrics for identifying at-risk private colleges have long been flawed.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flaw
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flaw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Flaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flaw. Accessed 16 Sep. 2024.
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