1
a
: omission of occurrence or performance
b(1)
: a state of inability to perform a normal function
kidney failure
compare heart failure
(2)
: an abrupt cessation of normal functioning
a power failure
c
: a fracturing or giving way under stress
structural failure
2
a
: lack of success
b
: a failing in business : bankruptcy
He was trying to rescue the company from failure.
3
a
: a falling short : deficiency
a crop failure
b
4
: one that has failed
He felt like a failure when he wasn't accepted into law school.
Examples of failure in a Sentence
He became discouraged by his repeated failures in business.
He was often crippled by his fear of failure.
The accident was caused by engine failure.
The patient was suffering from heart failure.
The accident was caused by a failure to use proper procedures.
She was criticized for failure to follow directions.
The drought caused crop failure.
He felt like a failure when he wasn't accepted into law school.
The scheme was a complete failure.
Recent Examples on the Web
Other charges, including criminal trespass, interfering with a peace officer and failure to stop at command of law enforcement, were dropped with prejudice as part of the agreement.
—
Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 5 Dec. 2025
Thursday’s failure does not prevent prosecutors from making another attempt.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 4 Dec. 2025
That’s the hypothesis presented in research published December 4 in Communications Earth & Environment, which argues that the eruption triggered several seasons of climate instability and crop failures.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2025
The other—sensitive, almost documentary-realist about the dynamics of modern parenting—deals with the fallout, as a community struggles to confront how such a nightmarish failure of safeguarding could have happened.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for failure
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Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 5 Dec. 2025
Thursday’s failure does not prevent prosecutors from making another attempt.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 4 Dec. 2025
That’s the hypothesis presented in research published December 4 in Communications Earth & Environment, which argues that the eruption triggered several seasons of climate instability and crop failures.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2025
The other—sensitive, almost documentary-realist about the dynamics of modern parenting—deals with the fallout, as a community struggles to confront how such a nightmarish failure of safeguarding could have happened.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for failure
Cite this Entry
“Failure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/failure. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
failure
noun
fail·ure
ˈfā(ə)l-yər 
1
a
: a failing to do or perform
failure to pass the test
b
: neglect of an assigned or expected action
failure to pay on time
c
: inability to perform a normal function well enough
heart failure
2
a
: a lack of success
failure in the campaign
b
: bankruptcy
a business failure
3
a
: a falling short : deficiency
crop failure
b
: a breaking down
a failure of memory
4
: one that has failed
the scheme was a complete failure
Medical Definition
failure
noun
fail·ure
ˈfā(ə)l-yər
: a state of inability to perform a vital function
acute renal failure
respiratory failure
see heart failure
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