Definitions for failure
ˈfeɪl yərfail·ure

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.7 / 3 votes

1. failurenoun

   an act that fails

   "his failure to pass the test"

2. failurenoun

   an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose

   "the surprise party was a complete failure"

3. failurenoun

   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 personnoun

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

5. failurenoun

   an unexpected omission

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

6. bankruptcy, failurenoun

   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. failurenoun

   loss of ability to function normally

   "kidney failure"

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. failurenoun

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

2. failurenoun

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

3. failurenoun

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

4. Etymology: From failer, from faillir.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Failurenoun

   Etymology: from fail.

   1. Deficience; cessation.

   There must have been an universal failure and want of springs and rivers all the Summer season. John Woodward, N. Hist.

   2. Omission; non-performance; slip.

   He that, being subject to an apoplexy, used still to carry his remedy about him; but upon a time shifting his cloaths, and not taking that with him, chanced upon that very day to be surprised with a fit: he owed his death to a mere accident, to a little inadvertency and failure of memory. Robert South, Sermons.

   3. A lapse; a slight fault.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. failure

   Failure is a condition or state in which an entity, individual, system, or action does not meet a set standard, expectation, goal or requirement. It can also refer to the cessation of a process or functioning. This could be due to lack of success, a breakdown, or an unsuccessful attempt to achieve a particular outcome. It is typically seen as undesirable, but can often serve as an opportunity for learning and growth.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Failurenoun

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

2. Failurenoun

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

3. Failurenoun

   want of success; the state of having failed

4. Failurenoun

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

5. Failurenoun

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

6. Failurenoun

   a failing; a slight fault

7. Etymology: [From Fail.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 WurdzRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. FAILURE

   The quickest method known for making money.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. failure

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

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. failure

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

Matched Categories

1. • Disorder
   • Fortune
   • Happening
   • Insolvency
   • Nonaccomplishment
   • Omission

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

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Joseph Sugarman:

   Not many people are willing to give failure a second opportunity. They fail once and it is all over. The bitter pill of failure is often more than most people can handle. If you are willing to accept failure and learn from it, if you are willing to consider failure as a blessing in disguise and bounce back, you have got the essential of harnessing one of the most powerful success forces.

2. The NRA statement:

   The law-abiding members of the NRA had nothing at all to do with the failure ofthat school’s security preparedness, the failure ofAmerica’s mental health system, the failure oftheNational Instant Check Systemor the cruelfailures of both federal and local law enforcement.

3. Christopher Baker:

   So often on a flight test, you learn as much, if not more, from failure than you do from success. We can afford to take more risk, knowing that there's a probability of failure, but that we can accept that failure in order to move into advanced capabilities, in this case, failure is an option.

4. Heather Lydia Thornhill:

   Love is surrounded by four failures. Failure to care until pushed. Failure to cure until heard. Failure to listen when confused. Failure to ignore when broken.

5. Joseph Heller:

   Success and failure are both difficult to endure. Along with success come drugs, divorce, fornication, bullying, travel, meditation, medication, depression, neurosis and suicide. With failure comes failure.

Popularity rank by frequency of use