failure
noun
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Definition of failure
1a : 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
2a : lack of success
b : a failing in business : bankruptcy He was trying to rescue the company from failure.
3a : 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.
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Synonyms & Antonyms for failure
Synonyms
crunch, dearth, deficiency, deficit, drought (also drouth), famine, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency, lack, paucity, pinch, poverty, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, want
Antonyms
abundance, adequacy, amplitude, opulence, plenitude, plenty, sufficiency, wealth
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Examples of failure in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The state fire marshal’s office laid much of the blame for the April 17, 2013, disaster on the fire department’s failure to follow safety standards. — Mike Hendricks, kansascity, "Firefighters protect us. Who protects them?," 13 July 2018 The measure was scaled back – fines were limited to $300, the maximum allowed by city charter – because, councilors said, they were deflated by the state’s failure to act on past petitions. — Milton J. Valencia, BostonGlobe.com, "Walsh vetoes city lobbying rules, calling proposal ‘inadequate’," 12 July 2018 In April, students at Peking University protested the school’s failure to punish Shen Yang, a professor of Chinese who had left the school. — Chris Buckley, New York Times, "Chinese Professor Accused of Sexual Harassment Is Barred From Teaching," 12 July 2018 The small Minnesota adoption agency that placed the children had a history of violations, including a failure to properly conduct home studies for pending placements. — Joe Heim And Julie Tate, Houston Chronicle, "As Hart children begged for help, system failed them," 12 July 2018 That reality, in conjunction with lax regulations on the prices companies can set, incentivizes price hikes to make up for falling sales and the failure to create new blockbuster treatments. — Sy Mukherjee, Fortune, "3 Key Lessons From Trump's Drug Price Feud With Pfizer," 11 July 2018 The company cited equipment failure as the cause of the spill. — David North, Chicago Reader, "Sickened surfers say the best waves in Lake Michigan are in the polluted waters off northwest Indiana," 10 July 2018 While recent advances in cancer therapies have vastly increased rates of survival, these aggressive treatments often come with severe complications including ovarian failure. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "How Artificial Ovaries Could Expand Fertility Options For Chemo Patients," 5 July 2018 Memorial Regional Hospital South in Hollywood experienced a failure in its air-conditioning system Thursday that cools two of the building’s six floors, a spokesman said. — Linda Trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Elective surgeries postponed as hospital air conditioning falters," 5 July 2018These 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.
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More Definitions for failure
failure
noun
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Kids Definition of failure
1 : a lack of success The experiment resulted in failure.
2 : the act of neglecting or forgetting to do or perform I was disappointed by his failure to keep a promise.
3 : an instance of not working properly power failure a failure of memory
4 : a loss of the ability to work normally heart failure
5 : someone or something that has not succeeded The new show was a failure.
6 : an instance of falling short crop failure
7 : bankruptcy
failure
noun
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Medical Definition of failure
: a state of inability to perform a vital function acute renal failure respiratory failure — see heart failure
failure
nounLegal Definition of failure
1 : omission of occurrence or performance specifically : a failing to perform a duty or expected action a failure to mitigate damages failure to prosecute
2 : a lack of success or adequacy failure of a suit
3 : a failing in business
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