failure

noun fail·ure \ ˈfāl-yər \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of failure

1 a : omission of occurrence or performance; specifically : a failing to perform a duty or expected action

failure to pay the rent on time

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 : deterioration, decay

4 : one that has failed

He felt like a failure when he wasn't accepted into law school.

See failure defined for English-language learners

See failure defined for kids

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 of failure from the Web

After the verdict, Scuderi speculated that the federal case was fatally wounded by a failure to show jurors that city services suffered as a result of a corrupt bargain between the sheriff and the businessman.

— craig r. mccoy, Philly.com, "Former Philly Sheriff John Green beats every charge in federal bribery-conspiracy trial," 3 Apr. 2018
Gober also has an ongoing conversion case in Lake Station court in which a failure to appear warrant was issued in October 2017, according to Koonce.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Mother charged in deaths of 2 children in Gary fire pleads not guilty," 2 Apr. 2018
Conte's days numbered Chelsea manager Antonio Conte's days in charge look numbered as failure to make the top four is likely to seal the Italian's fate no matter what comes of their run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

— kieran canning, chicagotribune.com, "Tottenham defeat Chelsea to end 28-year drought at Stamford Bridge," 1 Apr. 2018
The company admitted this was due to a technical failure.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "What Congress Should Ask Mark Zuckerberg," 28 Mar. 2018
Libor, this measure of how much banks charge to lend to each other, is the rate that shot-up during the crisis when a complete failure of trust between banks froze the money markets.

— paul j. davies, WSJ, "Banking System Alarm Bell That Doesn’t Signal Danger," 28 Mar. 2018
He was frustrated by France’s patronizing attitude toward its Vietnamese allies, and disturbed by a failure to establish a legitimate cause to counter the stirring appeal of their anti-colonial adversaries.

— amar diwakar, The New Republic, "Saffron Curtain: How Buddhism Was Weaponized During the Cold War," 23 Mar. 2018
Several plants have flunked these because of poor hygiene or deficient processes, such as a failure to keep track of manufacturing glitches.

— The Economist, "Indian drugmakers need a new prescription," 22 Mar. 2018
As of the time of publication, Uber had yet to gain access to the vehicle and its data to determine whether the accident was a result of a failure on the part of the safety driver or the autonomous software.

— johana bhuiyan, Recode, "Some, but not all, self-driving car companies are pausing their tests after an Uber car killed a pedestrian," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'failure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.