failure

American  

[feyl-yer] / ˈfeɪl jər /

noun

failures plural

1. an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success.

   His effort ended in failure.

   The campaign was a failure.

2. nonperformance of something due, required, or expected.

   a failure to do what one has promised;

   a failure to appear.

3. a subnormal quantity or quality; an insufficiency.

   the failure of crops.

4. deterioration or decay, especially of vigor, strength, etc..

   The failure of her health made retirement necessary.

5. a condition of being bankrupt by reason of insolvency.

6. a becoming insolvent or bankrupt.

   the failure of a bank.

7. a person or thing that proves unsuccessful.

   He is a failure in his career.

   The cake is a failure.

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failure British  

/ ˈfeɪljə /

noun

1. the act or an instance of failing

2. a person or thing that is unsuccessful or disappointing

   the evening was a failure

3. nonperformance of something required or expected

   failure to attend will be punished

4. cessation of normal operation; breakdown

   a power failure

5. an insufficiency or shortage

   a crop failure

6. a decline or loss, as in health or strength

7. the fact of not reaching the required standard in an examination, test, course, etc

8. the act or process of becoming bankrupt or the state of being bankrupt

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonfailure
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• failures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of failure

First recorded in 1635–45; fail + -ure; replacing failer “a fault, default,” from Anglo-French (noun use of infinitive), for Old French faillir

Explanation

If you experience failure, things have not gone the way you'd hoped. I'm sorry to hear that your attempt to turn hay into gold has been a failure. Failure can also mean when something suddenly stops working or when you don't do something that you're expected to. A power failure might create an opportunity for a romantic candlelight dinner. Your failure to pay the electric bill may lead to a lot of romantic candlelight dinners, as long as you at least paid the gas bill. Someone who has no success in life a failure, as is an effort that doesn't work like your failure of a presidential campaign.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

failure failures

It is also, in many ways, a failure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

While her official cause of death was listed as post-polio syndrome and chronic pulmonary failure, McVey attributes her sister's death to the effects of long Covid-19.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Ebola, a viral haemorrhagic fever that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, can cause severe bleeding and organ failure.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

In Sonny’s notebook, every observation is a moral choice, a mini-essay about what proper conduct is, what failure is, how you might get past it, and what our responsibilities to others might be.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

She considered herself a failure for not having stopped the wind bomb from exploding; but the truth was, she’d saved the entire crew from becoming ice sculptures in Quebec.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

The regulator previously proposed a £22m fine for water supply failures between 2020 and 2023, which impacted more than 286,000 people.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

The GAO said the SPR experienced 16 major equipment failures since 2013.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

The reserve has experienced 16 major equipment failures since 2013, including of raw water and brine disposal piping.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

These alleged failures, however, did not play a role in sparking the Mosquito fire, the notice said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Clara tried to console him for his failures.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Related Words

• bankruptcy
• breakdown
• collapse
• decline
• defeat
• deficiency
• deterioration
• failing
• loss
• misstep