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

Heart failure does not mean that the heart has completely stopped working.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

Wall Street has yet to make up its mind about whether Apple’s AI strategy is a success or failure.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

She tended to greet failure with a joke.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

In July, both terminals at Gatwick lost running water for several hours after a power failure at a treatment works in the area.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

“Sweet girl, you and Tyran Porter are very similar. Some may say you’re two sides of the same coin. His failure will be your success.”

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

I got the sense that he was less capable of getting disappointed by those failures than I would be.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

Its money has indeed delivered victories this year, but also some expensive failures.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Aviation accidents often result from a series of failures, and investigators may take a year or more to determine their causes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Where losing a 4-0 advantage ranks in the pantheon of Celtic failures is a moot point.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

“I remember during power failures at my grandmother’s house, we all had to say something,” Shoba continued.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Related Words

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