Definitions for failure
ˈfeɪl yərfail·ure

Princeton's WordNet(4.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. failure(noun)

   an act that fails

   "his failure to pass the test"

2. failure(noun)

   an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose

   "the surprise party was a complete failure"

3. failure(noun)

   lack of success

   "he felt that his entire life had been a failure"; "that year there was a crop failure"

4. failure, loser, nonstarter, unsuccessful person(noun)

   a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently

5. failure(noun)

   an unexpected omission

   "he resented my failure to return his call"; "the mechanic's failure to check the brakes"

6. bankruptcy, failure(noun)

   inability to discharge all your debts as they come due

   "the company had to declare bankruptcy"; "fraudulent loans led to the failure of many banks"

7. failure(noun)

   loss of ability to function normally

   "kidney failure"

Wiktionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. failure(Noun)

   State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.

   Etymology: From failer, from faillir.

2. failure(Noun)

   An object, person or endeavour in a state of failure or incapable of success.

   Etymology: From failer, from faillir.

3. failure(Noun)

   Termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function, breakdown.

   Etymology: From failer, from faillir.

Wikipedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Failure

   Failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. The criteria for failure depends on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One person might consider a failure what another person considers a success, particularly in cases of direct competition or a zero-sum game. Similarly, the degree of success or failure in a situation may be differently viewed by distinct observers or participants, such that a situation that one considers to be a failure, another might consider to be a success, a qualified success or a neutral situation. It may also be difficult or impossible to ascertain whether a situation meets criteria for failure or success due to ambiguous or ill-defined definition of those criteria. Finding useful and effective criteria, or heuristics, to judge the success or failure of a situation may itself be a significant task.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Failure(noun)

   cessation of supply, or total defect; a failing; deficiency; as, failure of rain; failure of crops

   Etymology: [From Fail.]

2. Failure(noun)

   omission; nonperformance; as, the failure to keep a promise

   Etymology: [From Fail.]

3. Failure(noun)

   want of success; the state of having failed

   Etymology: [From Fail.]

4. Failure(noun)

   decay, or defect from decay; deterioration; as, the failure of memory or of sight

   Etymology: [From Fail.]

5. Failure(noun)

   a becoming insolvent; bankruptcy; suspension of payment; as, failure in business

   Etymology: [From Fail.]

6. Failure(noun)

   a failing; a slight fault

   Etymology: [From Fail.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Failure

   Failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic engineering.

The Roycroft Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. failure

   1. The man who can tell others what to do and how to do it, but never does it himself. 2. A man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in the experience.

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. FAILURE

   The quickest method known for making money.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. failure

   An unsuccessful attempt; as, the failure of an expedition.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. failure

   Song lyrics by failure -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by failure on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'failure' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1291

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'failure' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3201

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'failure' in Nouns Frequency: #536

How to pronounce failure?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say failure in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of failure in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of failure in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of failure in a Sentence

1. Gregg Gonsalves:

   It's not a 9/11-level failure, it's greater than that. As Andy Slavitt said, it's the greatest public health crisis in a hundred years...

2. Oliver Sheldon:

   There is this general, overarching question of why good people occasionally do bad things, we think part of the explanation for why people occasionally don't behave ethically is their failure to confront and realize there's a temptation.

3. Mark Jones:

   The real policy failure is not having a program in place to recover the gun.

4. Paul Ryan:

   While we don't yet know the details of the plan, the president is at minimum subverting the legislative branch, and potentially overturning its will, his proposals to restrict gun rights were debated by the United States Senate, and they were rejected. No president should be able to reverse legislative failure by executive fiat, not even incrementally.

5. John McCain:

   It was very obvious to many of us that this did not have to happen, we did not take care of the regime that was in place, the president that was in there. It is a symptom of our failure throughout the Middle East.

Images & Illustrations of failure

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