failure

noun

ˈfāl-yər How to pronounce failure (audio)
Definition of failurenext
1
as in negligence
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action your failure to check the batteries in the smoke detector could have tragic results

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Relevance

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2
as in defeat
a falling short of one's goals the failure of the school's fund-raising drive was a big disappointment to all

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disaster
something that has failed the students' first attempt to build a homemade rocket was a disappointing failure

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number the failure of the potato crop had a devastating effect on the population of Ireland

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in bankruptcy
the inability to pay one's debts years of prolonged economic depression, when business failures were common

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of failure Mock-model services can simulate responses, latency, token metadata and failures without repeatedly generating real inference. — Pritam Debnath, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Russell was devastated by the film’s censorship and subsequent failure. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 But new speed restrictions, imposed without notice remotely by code, contributed to multiple mission failures. — Gerard Toal, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026 The installation at the military’s oldest active test base would help shield critical defense operations from wider grid failures. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for failure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failure
  1. negligence
  2. defeat
  3. disaster
  4. shortage
  5. bankruptcy
  6. neglect
  7. collapse
  8. catastrophe
Noun
  • Executives are currently shielded behind their companies, with corporate financial penalties for misconduct or negligence often amounting to a fraction of their turnover and valuations – just another line item.
    — Giorgos Tsetis, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier versions of Florida law generally provided four years for negligence actions.
    — Emma Clapp, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of negligence
Noun
  • Abiy's office accused the TPLF of obstructing the agreement and said that the latest fighting ended in its defeat.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Abiy’s office accused the TPLF of obstructing the agreement and said the latest fighting ended in its defeat.
    — Khaled Kazziha, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of defeat
Noun
  • Faizi said ambulances and disaster management personnel arrived from a nearby facility within five minutes of being alerted.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For example, largely because of the environmental disaster that is Weikuang Dam, the country doesn’t permit the development or operation of stand-alone monazite mines—that is, mines where nothing is mined except monazite ore.
    — Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • Musk has repeatedly treated the sports car as a lower priority than Tesla’s other projects, while also blaming supply chain shortages for earlier delays.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The state prison system experiences chronic staffing shortages of corrections officers, nurses and physicians.
    — Jaquelyn Jahn, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of shortage
Noun
  • Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy follow different processes, which can affect how people rebuild their finances.
    — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Boston Finance Group drew money from CSNT almost every quarter for a decade, starting in 2010, according to an analysis by a forensic accountant hired by the bankruptcy trustee who pored through both CSNT and Boston Finance Group's bank records.
    — Cristian Benavides, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bankruptcy
Noun
  • After years of neglect, the once-rotating, 12-foot cross was barely attached and was nearly removed following heavy rains earlier this year.
    — Mickey Rapkin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The cash injection follows years of national neglect for state party candidates.
    — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of neglect
Noun
  • The study does not establish that every future change is irreversible or that Thwaites must accelerate toward total collapse.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • David Waldowski Laguna Woods The excuses for the Dodgers collapse flew off the page minutes after the last out of Game 4.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapse
Noun
  • In a 2024 interview with TIME, Netanyahu denied making the statement, insisting that the payments were meant to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Information and statistics are flying around, with some groups framing the AI data center boom as a potential environmental catastrophe, while others say concerns are overblown or even fake.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of catastrophe

Browse Nearby Words

fails (at)
failure
failures
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Cite this Entry

“Failure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failure. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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