How to Use defective in a Sentence

defective

adjective
  • The disease is caused by a defective gene.
  • This computer is defective. I want my money back.
  • Leaks from the top of the tank are likely caused by loose or defective valves.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The rash was much milder in mice bred with defective itch-sensing nerve cells.
    — ABC News, 27 June 2026
  • The defense argued that the gun was defective and fired on its own.
    — Alan Gionet, CBS News, 1 June 2026
  • But something proved defective in his plan or mind, and as a result, no one was killed.
    — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2026
  • The blast was later blamed on defective boilers.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 27 Jan. 2026
  • As far as Glassman is concerned, the lights are defective and as such will have to come down.
    — Alex Mann, baltimoresun.com, 9 Nov. 2021
  • For us zombie virus researchers, these defective genomes are a goldmine.
    — John Yin, Scientific American, 29 July 2022
  • It was needed to fix a defective unit badly in need of playmakers.
    — Calvin Watkins, Dallas News, 29 Sep. 2021
  • What if people could access all of those things without being told their brain is defective?
    — Dr Sanah Ahsan, refinery29.com, 6 June 2022
  • The crossing signal for the next lane was defective and failed to activate.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025
  • Police asked about moving her to another room since the door was defective.
    — Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 16 July 2021
  • Spinraza works on the defective gene to produce more of the missing protein.
    — Ciara McCarthy 15, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 June 2026
  • Thus, your homebuilder may have to replace the defective stucco for the entire home.
    — Christopher A. Combs, AZCentral.com, 23 Dec. 2025
  • Investors don’t sink their money into regimes that are short-lived, corrupt, or defective.
    — Firmin Debrabander, The New Republic, 7 Nov. 2022
  • Margaret and Todd work to help an athlete who lost his leg because of a defective aircraft.
    — Olivia McCormack, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2022
  • During that time, one of the defective heaters caught fire, resulting in the death of a 90-year-old man.
    — Kate Gibson, CBS News, 8 July 2022
  • The company says the impeller, which is the rotating part of the pump, could be defective.
    — NBC News, 31 Mar. 2021
  • Find a return policy and know your options if the product is defective.
    — Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2021
  • The adult hemoglobin is what's defective in people with one of these diseases.
    — Marion Renault, Star Tribune, 5 Dec. 2020
  • The car was initially stopped because of a defective tail light, officials said.
    — Nataly Keomoungkhoun, Dallas News, 14 Apr. 2021
  • The problem is that her radar for seriously dateable men is defective.
    — Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022
  • The idea behind gene therapy is to replace a defective gene with one that works properly.
    — Maggie Fox, CNN, 1 June 2021
  • Although there's an outside chance that the new cap is defective, ask your mechanic to scan the system for trouble codes.
    — Motormouth Bob Weber, Star Tribune, 13 Nov. 2020
  • The team would never have spotted them just by analyzing a defective bottle.
    — Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Progesterone promotes cell death among defective cells that could turn cancerous.
    — Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Switching a single lock for a new one is easy, but finding all the millions of buildings that have that defective lock would take time and an immense amount of work.
    — Tatum Hunter and Gerrit De Vynck, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Dec. 2021
  • Dealers will inspect and repair the defective parts free of charge, according to the recall notice.
    — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 3 June 2026
  • Consumers can return defective products to the retailer of purchase for a full refund.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: