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View synonyms for failure

failure

[ feyl-yer ]

noun

  1. an act or instance of failing fail or proving unsuccessful; lack of success:

    His effort ended in failure.

    The campaign was a failure.

  2. nonperformance of something due, required, or expected:

    a failure to do what one has promised;

    a failure to appear.

  3. a subnormal quantity or quality; an insufficiency:

    the failure of crops.

  4. deterioration or decay, especially of vigor, strength, etc.:

    The failure of her health made retirement necessary.

  5. a condition of being bankrupt by reason of insolvency.
  6. a becoming insolvent or bankrupt:

    the failure of a bank.

  7. a person or thing that proves unsuccessful:

    He is a failure in his career.

    The cake is a failure.



failure

/ ˈfeɪljə /

noun

  1. the act or an instance of failing
  2. a person or thing that is unsuccessful or disappointing

    the evening was a failure

  3. nonperformance of something required or expected

    failure to attend will be punished

  4. cessation of normal operation; breakdown

    a power failure

  5. an insufficiency or shortage

    a crop failure

  6. a decline or loss, as in health or strength
  7. the fact of not reaching the required standard in an examination, test, course, etc
  8. the act or process of becoming bankrupt or the state of being bankrupt
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • non·failure noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of failure1

First recorded in 1635–45; fail + -ure; replacing failer “a fault, default,” from Anglo-French (noun use of infinitive), for Old French faillir
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

There are many different paths to success and failure.

Mr Fontana has a rare autoimmune condition impacting the lungs and is classed as being in single organ failure.

From BBC

Multiple reports and activists assailed the department’s response to the protests as a botched operation that resulted from poor planning, inadequate training and failure to learn from past mistakes.

The 34-year-old crashed into a concrete barrier at the Tamburello corner because of a mechanical failure on his car and died a few hours later in a hospital in Bologna.

From BBC

"You're likely to produce something that isn't going to be as thoroughly evaluated... there are going to be failures along the way, and what you produce may need major overhauls."

From BBC

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