The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Default \De*fault"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Defaulted; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Defaulting.]
   1. To fail in duty; to offend.
      [1913 Webster]

            That he gainst courtesy so foully did default.
                                                  --Spenser.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To fail in fulfilling a contract, agreement, or duty.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To fail to appear in court; to let a case go by default.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Default \De*fault"\, n. [OE. defaute, OF. defaute, defalte,
   fem., F. d['e]faut, masc., LL. defalta, fr. a verb meaning,
   to be deficient, to want, fail, fr. L. de- + fallere to
   deceive. See Fault.]
   1. A failing or failure; omission of that which ought to be
      done; neglect to do what duty or law requires; as, this
      evil has happened through the governor's default.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Fault; offense; ill deed; wrong act; failure in virtue or
      wisdom.
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            And pardon craved for his so rash default.
                                                  --Spenser.
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            Regardless of our merit or default.   --Pope.
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   3. (Law) A neglect of, or failure to take, some step
      necessary to secure the benefit of law, as a failure to
      appear in court at a day assigned, especially of the
      defendant in a suit when called to make answer; also of
      jurors, witnesses, etc.
      [1913 Webster]

   In default of, in case of failure or lack of.
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            Cooks could make artificial birds and fishes in
            default of the real ones.             --Arbuthnot.

   To suffer a default (Law), to permit an action to be called
      without appearing to answer.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Default \De*fault"\, v. t.
   1. To fail to perform or pay; to be guilty of neglect of; to
      omit; as, to default a dividend.
      [1913 Webster]

            What they have defaulted towards him as no king.
                                                  --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Law) To call a defendant or other party whose duty it is
      to be present in court, and make entry of his default, if
      he fails to appear; to enter a default against.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To leave out of account; to omit. [Obs.]
      [1913 Webster]

            Defaulting unnecessary and partial discourses.
                                                  --Hales.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

default
    n 1: loss due to not showing up; "he lost the game by default"
    2: act of failing to meet a financial obligation [syn:
       default, nonpayment, nonremittal]
    3: loss resulting from failure of a debt to be paid [syn:
       nonpayment, default, nonremittal] [ant: payment]
    4: an option that is selected automatically unless an
       alternative is specified [syn: default option, default]
    v 1: fail to pay up [syn: default, default on] [ant: ante
         up, pay, pay up]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

168 Moby Thesaurus words for "default":
   AWOL, French leave, abscondence, absence, absence without leave,
   absentation, absenteeism, absenting, arrear, arrearage, arrears,
   back debts, back payments, bad debt, be absent, be bereaved of,
   be caught napping, be neglectful, be negligent, bouncing check,
   come up short, culpa, culpable negligence, cut, day off, dearth,
   decline, defalcation, defect, defection, defectiveness,
   deferred payments, deficiency, deficit, deficit financing,
   delinquence, delinquency, departure, dereliction, disallow,
   disappearance, disconformity, dishonor, dishonoring, disregard,
   dollar gap, drop, escape, excused absence, fail, fail to appear,
   failure, fall short, falling short, fault, fleeing, forfeit,
   furlough, gloss over, go astray from, holiday, hooky, ignore,
   imperfection, inaction, inadequacy, inadvertence, inadvertency,
   inattention, incur loss, inferiority, inobservance, insufficiency,
   keep away, kiss good-bye, laches, lack, laissez-faire, lapse,
   laxity, laxness, leave, leave of absence, leaving, let go,
   let ride, let slide, let slip, levant, looseness, lose, lose out,
   lose sight of, lose track of, mislay, misplace, miss, neglect,
   neglectfulness, negligence, nod, nonadherence, nonappearance,
   nonattendance, noncompliance, nonconformance, nonconformity,
   nondischarge of debts, nonfeasance, nonfulfillment,
   noninterference, nonobservance, nonpayment, nonperformance,
   nonremittal, nonrestriction, not care for, not come,
   not get involved, not heed, not pay, not show up, not think,
   omission, overdraft, overlook, overlooking, oversight, pass over,
   permissiveness, poor stewardship, privation, procrastination,
   protest, protested bill, refuse to pay, remissness, repudiate,
   repudiation, running away, sabbatical leave, sacrifice,
   short measure, shortage, shortcoming, shortfall, sick leave,
   slackness, sleep, slight, slump, stop payment, suffer loss,
   take for granted, truancy, truantism, turn up missing,
   uncollectible, underage, undergo privation, unexcused absence,
   unobservance, unrigorousness, vacation, wander from, want,
   weakness, welsh



The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

default

    A value or thing to use when none is specified by the
   user.  Defaults are important for making systems behave in a
   predictable way without the user having to give lots of
   "obvious" details.

   For example: the default TCP/IP port for the HTTP
   protocol is 80, the Unix ls command does not list files
   whose names begin with ".", the default number base in most
   contexts is 10 (decimal), the default filename extension for
   Microsoft Word documents is ".doc".

   (2009-02-20)


Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

DEFAULT. The neglect to perform a legal obligation or duty; but in technical
language by default is often understood the non-appearance of the defendant
within the time prescribed by law, to defend himself; it also signifies the
non-appearance of the plaintiff to prosecute his claim.
     2. When the plaintiff makes default, he may be nonsuited; and when the
defendant makes default, judgment by default is rendered against him. Com.
Dig. Pleader, E 42 Id. B 11. Vide article Judgment by Default, and 7 Vin.
Ab. 429; Doct. Pl. 208 Grah. Pr. 631. See, as to what will excuse or save a
default, Co. Litt. 259 b.



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

DEFAULT, contracts, torts. By the 4th section of the English statute of
frauds, 29 Car. H., c. 3, it is enacted that "no action shall be brought to
charge the defendant upon any special promise to answer for the debt,
default, or miscarriage of another person, unless the agreement," &c.,
"shall be in writing," &c. By default under this statute is understood the
non-performance of duty, though the same be not founded on a contract. 2 B.
& A. 516.