• (British) IPA: /ˈflɔː/
• (America) IPA: /ˈflɔ/
• (cot-caught) IPA: /ˈflɑ/

flaw (plural flaws)

1. (obsolete) A flake, fragment, or shiver.
2. (obsolete) A thin cake, as of ice.
3. A crack or breach, a gap or fissure; a defect of continuity or cohesion.

   There is a flaw in that knife.

   That vase has a flaw.

   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene iv]:

     This heart / Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws.

4. A defect, fault, or imperfection, especially one that is hidden.

   • Has not this also its flaws and its dark side?

   1. (in particular) An inclusion, stain, or other defect of a diamond or other gemstone.
5. (legal) A defect or error in a contract or other document which may make the document invalid or ineffective.

   a flaw in a will, in a deed, or in a statute

• See also Thesaurus:defect

• French: défaut, fissure,
• German: Fehler
• Italian: fessura, cricca, crepa
• Portuguese: falha, defeito
• Russian: тре́щина
• Spanish: falla

• French: faille
• German: Makel, Fehler
• Italian: difetto, errore, imperfezione
• Portuguese: falha, defeito, erro
• Russian: изъя́н
• Spanish: imperfección, desperfecto, pega

• French: crapaud
• Italian: imperfezione, difetto
• Spanish: defecto

flaw (flaws, present participle flawing; past and past participle flawed)

1. (transitive) To add a flaw to, to make imperfect or defective.
2. (intransitive) To become imperfect or defective; to crack or break.

• Russian: по́ртить

• Russian: поврежда́ться

• IPA: /ˈflɔː/

flaw (plural flaws)

1. A sudden burst or gust of wind of short duration.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book 10”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708 ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554 ↗:

     And snow and haile and stormie gust and flaw

   • ?, Alfred Tennyson, The Marriage of Geraint

     Like flaws in summer laying lusty corn.

2. A storm of short duration.
3. A sudden burst of noise and disorder

   Synonyms: tumult, uproar, quarrel

   • And deluges of armies from the town / Came pouring in; I heard the mighty flaw.

• French: bourrasque
• German: Windbö
• Russian: шквал

• French: tumulte