- present participle of fail.
failing
Americannoun
-
failings
plural
-
an act or instance of failing; failure.
His failing is due to general incompetence.
-
a defect or fault; shortcoming; weakness.
His lack of knowledge is a grave failing.
preposition
noun
preposition
Synonym Usage
See fault.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of failing
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; see origin at fail, -ing 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“I could dispense with most of them. . . . Perhaps that’s my failing, but I console myself that there are worse failings.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office for failing to comply with a law limiting ICE partnerships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
A senior serving officer, who played a lead role in compiling the briefing, is under investigation for allegedly failing to ensure its accuracy.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“National leaders should convene economists, technologists, labor experts, business leaders and workers themselves regularly to identify where existing institutions are failing and what new authorities may be needed,” he continued.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Our nation’s crops are failing this year, so there is little grain to sell to other nations.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
The report, led by Mark Blackbourne, identified failings by both clubs and criticised the Scottish FA for not taking a tougher approach to crowd disorder.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The CMS said it had acknowledged and apologised for previous failings in Gerry's case and made consolatory payments.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
He said the "multi-agency failings need a multi-agency review" and that lessons should be learned and acted on.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The inquest jury found multiple failings in the care by prison and healthcare staff.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
He doesn’t want to talk about it, and he avoids any discussion involving Mother’s failings.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
