failure

noun

ˈfāl-yər How to pronounce failure (audio)
Definition of failurenext
1
as in negligence
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action your failure to check the batteries in the smoke detector could have tragic results

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in defeat
a falling short of one's goals the failure of the school's fund-raising drive was a big disappointment to all

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disaster
something that has failed the students' first attempt to build a homemade rocket was a disappointing failure

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number the failure of the potato crop had a devastating effect on the population of Ireland

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in bankruptcy
the inability to pay one's debts years of prolonged economic depression, when business failures were common

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of failure The president and Thune have shared a tense relationship in recent weeks over the Senate’s failure to pass the SAVE America Act. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2026 Spence also appears to be absorbing the blame for broader failures, with Thomas Tuchel’s touchline frustrations obvious and — for a player still establishing himself at this level — that scrutiny is unlikely to help. — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Officials caution that not everyone reported missing is necessarily trapped beneath the rubble because communications failures, mass displacement and transportation disruptions have complicated efforts to reunite families. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission directed Yuba Water days after the rupture to retain a fully independent engineering team to conduct a forensic investigation into the failure. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for failure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failure
  1. negligence
  2. defeat
  3. disaster
  4. shortage
  5. bankruptcy
  6. neglect
  7. collapse
  8. catastrophe
Noun
  • In other words, if that water heater explodes, then the investor will be personally sued for negligence in not replacing it, and the liability shield of the real property company is thus circumvented.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • The passengers are accusing Delta of negligence, negligence per se and a violation of the Montreal Convention.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Definition of negligence
Noun
  • The film culminates in the Battle of the Monongahela in 1755, where Washington steps up and delivers a rousing speech to the British army despite their defeat.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • That conversion and conquest crusade brought disease and defeat to native Californians, whose numbers and ways of life would be all but exterminated by the time the United States of America celebrated its first 100 years.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of defeat
Noun
  • Rodríguez said numerous public officials died in the disaster, including security personnel, municipal employees and military officers.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
  • The Boyle Heights blaze, similar to the Eaton and Palisades fires, has revealed the region’s air monitoring can’t always tell people what they’ve been exposed to in a disaster.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • The divergence is over whether the worker shortage is improving slowly or still getting worse, and what the Supreme Court should do about it.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Lights had been switched off to conserve electricity amid fuel shortages that have gripped Cuba since the beginning of the year.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of shortage
Noun
  • Five years ago, the restaurant was saved from the brink of bankruptcy and closure by Stone and Parker, the team who created South Park and the Broadway show Book of Mormon.
    — Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
  • Days later, the camp owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with documents showing their total debts exceeded $10 million.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of bankruptcy
Noun
  • Some business owners say crime and neglect are driving away customers.
    — Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Disabled people are disproportionately represented in detention, where inaccessible conditions, inadequate medical care, and systemic neglect put lives at risk.
    — Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of neglect
Noun
  • Vibrations from earth-moving equipment could have triggered further collapses, possibly dooming Gil — and his would-be rescuers.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • Historians have devoted enormous attention to the collapse of the royal courts, the creation of state judiciaries, the drafting of new constitutions, and the construction of the legal institutions of the new republic.
    — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of collapse
Noun
  • In the work of fiction, the ship is taken over to prevent catastrophe.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026
  • The young girls are referred to as Heaven’s 27 by their surviving families, who are determined to honor their legacy by ensuring such a catastrophe never happens again.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
Definition of catastrophe

Browse Nearby Words

fails (at)
failure
failures
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Cite this Entry

“Failure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failure. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on failure

Nglish: Translation of failure for Spanish Speakers

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