failure

[ feyl-yer ]

/ ˈfeɪl yər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR failure ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success: His effort ended in failure. The campaign was a failure.

nonperformance of something due, required, or expected: a failure to do what one has promised; a failure to appear.

a subnormal quantity or quality; an insufficiency: the failure of crops.

deterioration or decay, especially of vigor, strength, etc.: The failure of her health made retirement necessary.

a condition of being bankrupt by reason of insolvency.

a becoming insolvent or bankrupt: the failure of a bank.

a person or thing that proves unsuccessful: He is a failure in his career. The cake is a failure.

Origin of failure

1635–45; fail + -ure; replacing failer a (de)fault < Anglo-French (noun use of infinitive), for Old French faillir

OTHER WORDS FROM failure

non·fail·ure, noun

Words nearby failure

fail-soft, failed, failed state, failing, faille, failure, fain, fainaigue, fainites, faint, faintheart

Example sentences from the Web for failure

“I think it is important to say it is too soon to judge success or failure,” said Col. Steven Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.

Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War |Nancy A. Youssef |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
In doing so he exposed the failure of other airlines in the region to see the huge pent-up demand for cheap travel.

Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501 |Clive Irving |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League issued a statement deploring the state GOP for its failure to censure Duke.

The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise |Jason Berry |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
In short, we found ways to couch messages of failure or inadequacy.

Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating |Ellie Schaack |January 1, 2015 |DAILY BEAST

Failure to bond to their parents was the prominent reason children were being given away.

Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking |Tina Traster |December 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
His fort was destroyed, his men were killed, his settlement was a failure.

The True Story of Christopher Columbus |Elbridge S. Brooks
What does well enough on the target at home is often quite a failure in the wear and tear of the African wilderness.

Life of Frederick Courtenay Selous, D.S.O. |J.G. Millais
To which Ingeborg, absorbed in the failure of her effort to find help and comfort, answered droopingly "No."

The Pastor's Wife |Elizabeth von Arnim
However, he found not a little comfort for his failure as a student in his popularity as a storyteller and kind-hearted comrade.

Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 6 |Charles H. Sylvester
But there never would have been a parson among them but for the failure of the company in which Mr. Tudor's money was invested.

Uncle Max |Rosa Nouchette Carey

British Dictionary definitions for failure

failure

/ (ˈfeɪljə) /

noun

the act or an instance of failing

a person or thing that is unsuccessful or disappointing the evening was a failure

nonperformance of something required or expected failure to attend will be punished

cessation of normal operation; breakdown a power failure

an insufficiency or shortage a crop failure

a decline or loss, as in health or strength

the fact of not reaching the required standard in an examination, test, course, etc

the act or process of becoming bankrupt or the state of being bankrupt

Medical definitions for failure

failure

[ fāl′yər ]

n.

The inability to function or perform satisfactorily.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

failure

noun

Origin of failure

OTHER WORDS FROM failure

Words nearby failure

Example sentences from the Web for failure

British Dictionary definitions for failure

noun

Medical definitions for failure

n.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

failure

noun

Origin of failure

OTHER WORDS FROM failure

Words nearby failure

Words related to failure

Example sentences from the Web for failure

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for failure

noun

Medical definitions for failure

n.

British Dictionary definitions for failure