1
as in defeats
a falling short of one's goals
the failure of the school's fund-raising drive was a big disappointment to all
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disasters
something that has failed
the students' first attempt to build a homemade rocket was a disappointing failure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shortages
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bankruptcies
the inability to pay one's debts
years of prolonged economic depression, when business failures were common
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of failures
The director of Paris’ iconic Louvre Museum is facing scrutiny over apparent security failures that allowed thieves to make off with more than $100 million worth of jewels.
—
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Their failures have hit the private credit industry.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
But Musk's rocket company has fallen behind schedule with its testing and development of Starship, and the vehicle suffered a string of explosive failures earlier this year.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025
An investigation by the Miami Herald and WLRN reveals the shocking toll and the failures that led to it.
—Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Now, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is advancing legislation that its sponsors say will help address the failures that allowed the crash to happen.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
The error within that update then caused a chain reaction of service failures and disruptions.
—Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
Zone Zero is a distraction from Sacramento’s real failures.
—Cole Marting, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025
Pratt, who along with Heidi and other property owners has sued the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for its infrastructure failures, offers many grievances.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Their failures have hit the private credit industry.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
But Musk's rocket company has fallen behind schedule with its testing and development of Starship, and the vehicle suffered a string of explosive failures earlier this year.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025
An investigation by the Miami Herald and WLRN reveals the shocking toll and the failures that led to it.
—Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Now, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee is advancing legislation that its sponsors say will help address the failures that allowed the crash to happen.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
The error within that update then caused a chain reaction of service failures and disruptions.
—Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
Zone Zero is a distraction from Sacramento’s real failures.
—Cole Marting, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2025
Pratt, who along with Heidi and other property owners has sued the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for its infrastructure failures, offers many grievances.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failures
Noun
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And the matchup gives the Rebels their chance to inflict back-to-back defeats upon the Bulldogs for the first time in almost 30 years.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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But their four defeats have come against Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City — and in two of those cases, the winning goal came in stoppage time.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Corps website highlights the group's involvement in response to flooding and hurricane disasters in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida, as well as rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires this year.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
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Researchers expect millions of Americans to relocate from properties facing increasing risks of flood, fire and other kinds of disasters in the years ahead.—
Debolina Banerjee,
The Conversation,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Food shortages would mean the disappearance of luxuries and the rationing of staples, sapping public morale.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
For rural patients, travel is often an obstacle, and workforce shortages make consistent follow-up difficult.—
Scott R. Schell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Farm bankruptcies rose in the first half of the year to the highest level since 2021, according to US courts data.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Fallout continues over the bankruptcies.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And while the collapses of Tricolor and First Brands were widely seen as idiosyncratic, Roe’s team viewed them as potential warning signs of broader strain, particularly among lower-income borrowers.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
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Climate models that predict collapses are also less accurate when forecasting interactions between multiple tipping points.—
Alexandra A Phillips,
The Conversation,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But that same flavor keeps us from buying all the way in after his Giant disappointments.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Making a change at manager would have been one of the only dramatic moved the team could make after back-to-back playoff disappointments.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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So Vegas has to hope that their forward depth is strong enough to balance out where their star power lacks, relative to other contenders.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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This absence — of God, of love, of plain community spirit — is a metaphor for the whole parish, where everyone is defined by their own lacks and deficiencies, the weaknesses that cause Wicks to despise them and vow to bring down them all.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Blue Jays have also had to adjust their starting rotation on the fly as some harsh setbacks sprung up toward the end of the regular season.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Early on, each test had generally improved upon previous demonstrations until SpaceX hit some setbacks at the beginning of 2025 with a series of three failed tests ending in explosions.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Failures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failures. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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