Definition of malfunction
: to function imperfectly or badly : fail to operate normally
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Examples of malfunction in a Sentence
A software problem is causing the system to malfunction.
Recent Examples of malfunction from the Web
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Investigators can't explain with certainty why the left engine of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 malfunctioned when the plane was reaching over 32,000 feet.
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That first effort, though, suffered a setback when the transmitter later malfunctioned and people wondered whether Harper was alive or dead.
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Accidental gun discharge, Lake Avenue: Police report a female resident of an apartment building was cleaning her gun about 1:30 p.m. Feb. 22 when the gun malfunctioned and accidentally discharged.
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For those who find bloodthirsty Old West bandits too tame, behold a glitchy, malfunctioning shogun.
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Usually knocking is what happens when the air-fuel mixture in an engine combusts when it’s not supposed to, usually because a spark plug is malfunctioning and little pockets of air are exploding because of pressure rather than spark.
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Prosecutors said the tape of the deposition initially malfunctioned and that the first 15 to 20 minutes had no audio.
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The new tanks are much smaller than the autofill tanks that malfunctioned and need to be manually filled with liquid nitrogen.
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According to the district, several pieces of malfunctioning equipment at the plant emitted elevated levels of smog-forming nitrogen oxides from 2013 through 2016.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'malfunction.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
A malfunctioning switch might keep us from turning on a light. A malfunctioning heart valve might require replacement with an artificial valve, and if your immune system malfunctions it may start to attack healthy cells. And a malfunction in a voting machine could result in hundreds of votes being miscounted.
First Known Use of malfunction
1941
Definition of malfunction
plural malfunctions
: a failure to operate or function in the normal or correct manner : the action or an instance of malfunctioning
- a hardware/equipment malfunction
- Once thought to be a disease itself dropsy is now known to be a sign of several kinds of body malfunction, especially congestive heart failure and kidney disease.
- —C. Clairborne Ray
- In schizophrenia this filtering system malfunctions or short-circuits. This malfunction causes people to misevaluate what they see, hear, and experience in their environment.
- —Richard Crino
First Known Use of malfunction
1892
Medical Dictionary
medical Definition of malfunction
: to function imperfectly or badly : fail to operate in the normal or usual manner
- malfunctioning kidneys
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malfunction
nounLearn More about malfunction
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Spanish Central: Translation of malfunction Nglish: Translation of malfunction for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of malfunction for Arabic speakers
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