be at fault

be at fault — 慣用語

1. to be the person, group, or thing that caused a problem, accident, or mistake an

1.慣用語B1
釋義

有錯；應負責

對錯誤或事故負有責任

to be the person, group, or thing that caused a problem, accident, or mistake and therefore deserves blame.

例句

The delivery driver admitted he was at fault for the traffic accident.

那位送貨司機承認他對這場交通事故有錯。

admit + be at fault (accepting blame)

After checking the engine, Mira concluded that a faulty spark plug was at fault.

檢查引擎後，Mira 認為問題出在一個故障的火星塞上。

inanimate thing + be at fault

常見搭配
  • be at fault for
  • admit being at fault
  • find someone at fault
  • partly at fault
  • completely at fault
同義詞
  • to blame

    more common in informal spoken English; interchangeable with 'at fault' in most contexts

  • responsible

    broader and more neutral; can describe duty or accountability, not just blame

  • guilty

    stronger connotation of moral or legal wrongdoing; implies intention or negligence

反義詞
  • innocent

    clear opposite in legal or moral contexts

  • blameless

    emphasises that no wrongdoing occurred

文法句型

be + at fault (for + noun/gerund)

用法筆記

Used as a predicate after the verb 'be'. The subject can be a person, an organization, or an inanimate thing — whatever or whoever caused the problem. The preposition is always 'for', never 'of'.

常見錯誤

He is at fault of the accident.
He is at fault for the accident.
The correct preposition after 'at fault' is 'for', not 'of'.
He had fault for the accident.
He was at fault for the accident.
This expression always uses 'be', never 'have'.