default (redirected from defaulter)

The current setting or action taken by hardware or software if the user has not specified otherwise. Application programs have numerous defaults that determine everything from the font size that should be used to the folder a file is saved in. A default also implies that the setting or action can be changed.

The term is also a verb. For example, in the expression "the program defaults to xxx," it means that the program does xxx under these circumstances unless directed to do otherwise.