malfunction

[ mal-fuhngk-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: malfunctionmalfunctionedmalfunctioning on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. failure to function properly: a malfunction of the liver; the malfunction of a rocket.

verb (used without object)
  1. to fail to function properly.

Origin of malfunction

1
First recorded in 1925–30; mal- + function

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use malfunction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for malfunction

malfunction

/ (mælˈfʌŋkʃən) /


verb
  1. (intr) to function imperfectly or irregularly or fail to function

noun
  1. failure to function or defective functioning

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012