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Prepositions with nouns

By default, in default, or of default?

'By default' is the common expression for an automatic setting or result. 'In default' is mainly a formal legal or financial phrase. 'Of default' is not a standard combination.

Quick answer

Which expression should you use?

Use 'by default' for automatic settings or outcomes. Use 'in default' mainly in legal or financial English to mean failing to meet an obligation. 'Of default' is generally not idiomatic.

The app saves files by default.
The borrower was in default on the loan.
Dark mode is enabled by default on new devices.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
by default

Describing automatic settings or usual outcomes

Use 'by default' when something happens automatically unless changed.

Notifications are turned on by default.
The system selects English by default.
2
in default

Talking about legal or financial failure to pay or act

Use 'in default' mainly in formal contexts when someone fails to meet a legal or financial obligation.

The company is in default on its debt payments.
Tenants who remain in default may face legal action.
3
default on + payment/loan

Showing failure to repay money

Use the verb 'default on' with debts, loans, or payments.

Several customers defaulted on their loans during the crisis.
He nearly defaulted on his mortgage last year.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
by default
The printer uses black ink by default.
Standard phrase for automatic or preset behaviour.
in default
The borrower is in default under the contract.
Formal expression meaning failure to meet an obligation.
of default
The phrase 'of default' is not a standard alternative to 'by default'.
Generally nonidiomatic in modern English.
default on
She defaulted on her credit card payments.
Verb pattern for failing to repay money.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using 'in default' for computer settings

Use 'by default' for automatic settings and software behaviour.

✕ The feature is enabled in default. ✓ The feature is enabled by default.

Using 'of default' as a fixed phrase

English does not normally use 'of default' as a standard expression.

✕ The option is selected of default. ✓ The option is selected by default.

Confusing noun and verb patterns

Use 'default on' as a verb phrase with loans or payments.

✕ He defaulted his loan. ✓ He defaulted on his loan.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Most browsers open a new tab page ___ .
2. The firm was declared ___ after missing several payments.
3. She almost ___ her student loan.

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Frequently asked questions

Is 'in default' common in everyday English?

It is mostly used in legal, banking, and financial contexts.

Can 'by default' mean 'automatically'?

Yes. It usually means something happens automatically unless changed.

Is 'of default' ever correct?

It is not a standard fixed expression in current English.

"behind bar" or "of bar"? "beyond description" or "of description"? by, accident, of, accident "by boat" or "of boat"? "by chance" or "of chance"? "by extension", "of extension" or "for extension"? "by lot" or "with lot"? by, of, for, in or agreed-upon definition? by, of, in, into or to category? by, of, in, via or on telephone? by, of, on, for or in bus? by, of, to, with or from professor?

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