failures

noun

plural of failure
1
as in defeats
a falling short of one's goals the failure of the school's fund-raising drive was a big disappointment to all

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disasters
something that has failed the students' first attempt to build a homemade rocket was a disappointing failure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shortages
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bankruptcies
the inability to pay one's debts years of prolonged economic depression, when business failures were common

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 failures Summary The Lindsay Clancy case, involving postpartum psychosis, highlights critical gaps in maternal health support and systemic failures. — Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Fifty years on, these songs capture the feelings and failures not of Los Angeles but of America, too. — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026 Now, researchers have shown that an AI agent can learn to diagnose and correct some of these failures on its own. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026 The failures resulted in a divorce during the offseason and this exhibition game at Hard Rock Stadium was the first time the couple happened to be at the same place at the same time since the split. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Its failures are human failures, its shoddiness human shoddiness. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 When Coyote arrives at Kevin’s office, the man wants to aim for only a small settlement for Acme’s faulty rocket shoes despite his client’s wealth of evidence of other product failures. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 Rather than actual service failures, those logistical wrinkles serve as reminders that beneath the polished five-star veneer sits a functioning medical practice attempting to reconcile luxury hospitality with individualized medicine. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026 The public narrative around Lindsay Clancy has focused on systemic failures—blaming the mental health system for not doing enough. — Dr. Susan Hatters Friedman, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failures
  1. defeats
  2. disasters
  3. shortages
  4. bankruptcies
  5. collapses
  6. disappointments
  7. lacks
  8. setbacks
Noun
  • Mayer’s three professional defeats have now all come in England, following split-decision losses to Alycia Baumgardner in London in 2022 and Natasha Jonas in Liverpool in 2024.
    — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • This move follows recent court defeats for the department after rules to limit PSLF were struck down, raising concerns about the broader impact on public service workers.
    — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of defeats
Noun
  • The rescue mission had been suspended earlier due to the fear of secondary disasters caused by the overflowing barrier lake upstream of the town.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Information about major disasters is typically released with a delay and without personal stories of victims.
    — Niranjan Shrestha, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disasters
Noun
  • The attacks have brought shortages for ordinary Russians, but the assaults haven’t been as deadly for Russian civilians as the attacks on Ukrainians are.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • However, some experts see higher water rates as a different part of the solution to shortages.
    — Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of shortages
Noun
  • American exports fell faster than imports, domestic investment imploded, banks failed, and bankruptcies surged.
    — MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But in the following year, farm bankruptcies spiked across much of the country, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
    — Scott Neuman, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of bankruptcies
Noun
  • In addition to regions in South Asia, experts said the Andes Mountains in South America stand out as at risk for similar events involving landslides and glacier collapses in the future.
    — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Gold mining expands despite safety risks Artisanal mine collapses are common in Central African Republic, where thousands of people work in small-scale mining, often with little protection.
    — Jean Fernand Koena, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of collapses
Noun
  • The opportunities for the Minnesota Twins were plentiful late Wednesday night, and so too were the disappointments.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the market's biggest stocks could be vulnerable to earnings disappointments, according to Wolfe Research.
    — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of disappointments
Noun
  • Long used in commercial kitchens for sinks and countertops, steel sinks contain chromium that provides corrosion-resistance and nickel that adds the brightness pure steel lacks.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 19 July 2026
  • The Anaheim Ducks, at least, had a lot of pace and tempo to help make up for what Carlson’s skating lacks at this point in his career.
    — Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of lacks
Noun
  • Last week, City & State reported payments were late again this year in 3-K and Pre-K, and The New York Times later reported the same setbacks were also straining the new 2-K pilot program, renewing scrutiny of the delays.
    — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • More than four decades ago, after months of setbacks in the war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, thousands of young Iranian troops launched a surprise offensive that turned the tide.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of setbacks

Browse Nearby Words

failure
failures
fain
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Failures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failures. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All