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
Despite fire officials occasionally issuing landlords orders to comply, the same elevators continue to malfunction repeatedly, the newspaper found.
—
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Some found out even earlier in the day after their smart mattress tech malfunctioned.
—PC Magazine, 22 Oct. 2025
United Healthcare's provider search tool continued to malfunction throughout Monday.
—Ben Goggin, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
A lot can go wrong with a sump pump, from electrical problems to clogs and malfunctioning switches.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malfunction
Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Some found out even earlier in the day after their smart mattress tech malfunctioned.
—PC Magazine, 22 Oct. 2025
United Healthcare's provider search tool continued to malfunction throughout Monday.
—Ben Goggin, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
A lot can go wrong with a sump pump, from electrical problems to clogs and malfunctioning switches.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malfunction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malfunction
Verb
-
Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, said in a blog post on Wednesday that the currency intervention has failed and predicted a 15%-30% plunge for the peso is highly likely if voters reject Milei again.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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Congress failed to pass a budget or temporary funding measure before the federal fiscal year ended on October 1, forcing many federal agencies to cease all non-mandatory operations.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Weeks later, witnesses saw two women crash and abandon his car in Volusia County.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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But Septime Webre’s choreography is supposed to have the air of wild and sometimes frenzied social dancing, of Charlestons and Fox Trots and Black Bottoms, of indulging the glorious excesses of the 1920s before the greedier side of the American Dream comes crashing down a few years later.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malfunction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malfunction. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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