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.

---

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

---

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

The Urology Services Inquiry found that there was both a failure of individual responsibility as well as systemic failures.

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026

The purpose is to transform accountability into victimhood and failure into sabotage.

From Salon • Jun. 24, 2026

Fish and Wildlife Service sent a letter last year saying that, because the young birds were capable of independent flight, there was not a risk that the fireworks would cause nest failure.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

The request was for retatrutide, and it stated that the patient experienced obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension—essentially high blood pressure in the lungs, which is no joke and can lead to heart failure.

From Slate • Jun. 23, 2026

Though I should feel a total failure, my time on the prairie has branded this hope on my heart: next year it will be better.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

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