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

The manager said that the responsibility for the failure was his but he repeatedly returned to how lamentable his players were.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

“This case was about a failure to timely provide medical care,” said Contreras.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

But Purcell isn’t the only systems failure that has colored Supreme Court elections cases of late.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

“Clown is so much about embracing failure and vulnerability and acknowledging that you don’t have control over your own life,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The failure of the Nivelle offensive was so demoralizing, it almost destroyed the fighting spirit of the French army.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

"I don't know if I want to do a partnership again because of the failures," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Investigators are still probing the accident but a preliminary report in April pointed to communication failures and a lack of proper equipment.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

For decades, the biggest risk to financial plans were external economic failures, like market crashes, inflation, interest rates, taxes, sequence of returns or bear markets.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Chinese carmaker Xiaomi faced intense scrutiny following two fatal crashes in 2025 involving its SU7 model, when suspected electrical failures allegedly trapped occupants.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Or feel like failures because they couldn’t do the impossible.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Related Words

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