plural failures
1
: the act or result of failing: such as
a
: a lack of success in some effort
He became discouraged by his repeated failures in business.
He was often crippled by his fear of failure.
He was trying to rescue the business from failure. [=bankruptcy]
b
: a situation or occurrence in which something does not work as it should
The storm caused power failures [=outages] in many parts of the city.
a failure [=lapse] of memory
The accident was caused by engine failure.
The patient was suffering from heart/kidney failure.
c
: an occurrence in which someone does not do something that should be done
—followed by to + verb
The accident was caused by a failure to use proper procedures.
She was criticized for failure to follow directions.
d
: an occurrence in which crops do not grow and produce food in the normal way
The drought caused crop failure.
a serious crop failure
2
: a person or thing that has failed
He felt like a failure when he wasn't accepted into law school.
The scheme was a complete failure.
Cite this Entry
“Failure.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/failure. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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