at fault

at fault — 形容詞

1. being the person or thing that caused a problem, accident, or mistake to happen

1.形容詞B2
釋義

有過失

造成問題或錯誤而應受責備

being the person or thing that caused a problem, accident, or mistake to happen — and therefore deserving of blame

例句

The insurance report found that the truck driver was at fault for the crash.

保險報告認定卡車司機對這起車禍有過失。

be at fault for [something]

Emiko admitted she was at fault when the glass display broke during the event.

Emiko 承認自己有過失，活動期間她把玻璃展示櫃弄破了。

同義詞
  • responsible

    broader and more formal; can describe ongoing duties, not just one-off blame

  • to blame

    interchangeable with 'at fault' in most everyday contexts; slightly more direct

  • culpable

    formal and legalistic; implies moral or legal wrongdoing

  • in the wrong

    less formal; focuses on being mistaken rather than causing harm

反義詞
  • blameless

    did nothing to cause the problem; free of any fault

  • in the clear

    informal; no longer suspected or blamed after an investigation

文法句型

be at fault

find [someone] at fault

be at fault for [something]

用法筆記

Almost always used after a linking verb (be, seem, appear) or verbs like find, consider, and deem. It is not used before a noun — you cannot say 'an at-fault driver' (use the hyphenated form 'at-fault' as an attributive adjective instead). In legal and insurance contexts it carries a formal, binding meaning about liability.

常見錯誤

❌He was in fault for the broken window.
✅He was at fault for the broken window.
💡the fixed phrase uses 'at', never 'in'.
❌The court found the man guilty for the car accident.
✅The court found the man at fault for the car accident.
💡'guilty' is for criminal charges in a court of law; 'at fault' is for responsibility in accidents and everyday mistakes.