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

Because the heart continues to pump normally but does not relax and fill properly, many traditional heart failure treatments are less effective.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

Instead, “light a candle” and hope that he learns from the “embarrassment” of his failure.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

LA28 didn’t respond to a request for comment from the The Times about the failure to publicly disclose the contract details.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

"They need to have flashy tests" because anything less would be seen as a failure, she added.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

Even after Lépine and Bertillon failed—even after their failure was exposed—a lot of people decided to repeat their mistakes: they decided to believe in Eduardo de Valfierno.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

The author characteristically turns the failures into “learning moments,” and the phenomenal successes are recounted with hand-to-the-heart humility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Labor advocates who have studied pesticide regulation say the oversight gaps and failures to impose stiffer fines underscore the need for more vigilant enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

In 2023, the Supreme Court ordered former president Maithripala Sirisena to pay millions in compensation to the victims of the bombings, after finding him responsible for national security failures that led to the attacks.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Water treatment and power plants struggle with ash contamination, equipment failures, lack of spare parts and overwhelming demand, disrupting essential medical and industrial processes.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

My failures weigh upon me like a yoke across my shoulders.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Related Words

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