as in to fail
to fail to function or work properly
A software problem is causing the system to malfunction.
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Recent Examples of malfunction
Merkel also testified that the camera used to document that test malfunctioned.
—
Christine Fillmore Stiehl, NBC news, 5 June 2025
Then there was also the case of Russell’s car malfunctioning alarmingly en route to his second-place finish in Bahrain.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 2 June 2025
In Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch — which takes place immediately after the 2002 film and before the 2003 sequel — Stitch begins to malfunction ahead of an important hula competition for Lilo.
—Sharareh Drury, People.com, 26 May 2025
An investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board after Lalin’s death revealed the sensor in the door meant to detect a blocking object had malfunctioned.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for malfunction
Christine Fillmore Stiehl, NBC news, 5 June 2025
Then there was also the case of Russell’s car malfunctioning alarmingly en route to his second-place finish in Bahrain.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 2 June 2025
In Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch — which takes place immediately after the 2002 film and before the 2003 sequel — Stitch begins to malfunction ahead of an important hula competition for Lilo.
—Sharareh Drury, People.com, 26 May 2025
An investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board after Lalin’s death revealed the sensor in the door meant to detect a blocking object had malfunctioned.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for malfunction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malfunction
Verb
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The decline accelerated after reports indicated that Iran’s first attempt to retaliate by lobbing missiles toward a U.S. base in Qatar failed to cause any casualties.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
23 June 2025
-
Phoenix was unable to propel itself back to the NBA Finals, losing in the Western Conference semifinals during the 2022-23 season, being ousted in the first round in the 2023-24 season and failing to even make the postseason this year.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Shannon proved to be more ready as a rookie, scoring double figures in all five of his 20-minute games and then crashing the middle of the Western Conference finals with bursts of scoring.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
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Last October, two people in Boston were hurt when a drone hit a light pole and crashed during a Boston Celtics opening night watch party at City Hall Plaza.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malfunction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malfunction. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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