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
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 failures
The city of Malibu sued the state and the city and county of Los Angeles and other entities on Wednesday, accusing them of various failures that led to the start and proliferation of the Palisades fire that destroyed hundreds of Malibu homes along with municipal facilities and infrastructure.
—
City News Service, Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
Federal regulators are shutting down more than 550 commercial driving schools nationwide after finding unqualified instructors, inadequate testing and other safety failures.
—Josh Funk, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Still, the consistent level of embarrassing failures from Maryland’s Department of Human Services speaks to an ongoing lack of accountability from the state’s chief executive.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026
Chicago remained a home base for Jackson amid his local and national activist career, and was a site of multiple efforts spearheaded by the activist who sought to call out corporations and governments for diversity failures.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Except at that moment, Shiffrin wasn’t thinking about the medal or the misses, the achievements or the failures.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Epic Bill believes that his failures have taught him more than any victory ever could.
—Outside Online, 18 Feb. 2026
The pandemic, Redford says, only supercharged these failures to communicate.
—Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
The Justice Department has acknowledged these redaction failures.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
City News Service, Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
Federal regulators are shutting down more than 550 commercial driving schools nationwide after finding unqualified instructors, inadequate testing and other safety failures.
—Josh Funk, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Still, the consistent level of embarrassing failures from Maryland’s Department of Human Services speaks to an ongoing lack of accountability from the state’s chief executive.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026
Chicago remained a home base for Jackson amid his local and national activist career, and was a site of multiple efforts spearheaded by the activist who sought to call out corporations and governments for diversity failures.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Except at that moment, Shiffrin wasn’t thinking about the medal or the misses, the achievements or the failures.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Epic Bill believes that his failures have taught him more than any victory ever could.
—Outside Online, 18 Feb. 2026
The pandemic, Redford says, only supercharged these failures to communicate.
—Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
The Justice Department has acknowledged these redaction failures.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failures
Noun
-
This rapid frequency of defeats could signal to some skeptics that Dallas has officially entered the league’s race of tanking.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Five of those six defeats have been by a single goal.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In 2024, the country experienced 27 separate billion-dollar disasters, totaling roughly $183 billion, up from nearly $93 billion the year before.—
Yoca Arditi-Rocha,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
-
This designation places the mission on the same official level of seriousness as the fatal Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2023) shuttle disasters.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Climate scientists have been calling attention to the snowpack shortages in nearly every region of the West this year.—
Doha Madani,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Her goal is primary care, one of the specialties facing the most severe shortages nationwide.—
Nancy Badertscher,
AJC.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And, while there are a few different types of bankruptcies, Chapter 13 bankruptcy is often seen as the more responsible path.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Retail bankruptcies have had a major impact on malls and their landlords who must seek out new tenants to fill sites being vacated, and/or devise redevelopment plans.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Power that relies on repetition collapses when the pattern is named.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Even more distressing for the Knights is the program’s recent history of late-season collapses.—
Matt Murschel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Losing a board game becomes a small, safe rehearsal for larger disappointments later in life.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Parents,
17 Feb. 2026
-
There is something disorienting about treading water as your date catalogues their personal disappointments, each one hitting like a splash from the diving board.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Each provides amino acids that the other lacks, so eating them together gives you all the essential amino acids.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Economic theory would suggest that the best place to make a major investment such as a STAR bond would be in a place that has low, or lacks, economic activity.—
Sofi Zeman
January 21,
Kansas City Star,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Frank repeatedly praised their resilience and ability to respond to setbacks during his reign, but that mainly happened in away matches.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
But, so far, Fanatics hasn’t faced much scrutiny either by federal regulators or in Congress, and the company hasn’t hit any major setbacks in the cases in which it’s accused of monopolistic practices.—
A.J. Perez,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Failures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failures. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
