failure
Pluralfailures (some meanings)
- 1The state of not reaching a goal you hoped for or aimed at.
Like playing a game you really wanted to win, but losing instead.
After months of work, the whole project ended in failure.
Fear of failure stopped her from even trying.
UsagePeople often say end in failure and fear of failure.
Similardefeat
Oppositesuccess, achievement, triumph, victory
Note
- 2When a machine, a system, or a part of the body such as the heart stops working properly.
Like a flashlight that suddenly stops shining.
A brake failure caused the car to crash into the wall.
The power failure left the whole town in the dark.
UsageSay what stopped working first: engine failure, a power failure.
Note
- 3Not doing something you were supposed to do.
Like forgetting to turn off the stove before you leave the house.
His failure to lock the door let the dog escape.
The failure to warn people put many lives in danger.
UsageSay failure to do something: his failure to lock the door.
Note
- 4A person or thing that has not succeeded at what it set out to do.
Like a plant that never grows no matter how much you water it.
The new restaurant was a failure and closed within a year.
He felt like a failure after losing his job.
UsageSay a failure: he felt like a failure.
- 5When a business runs out of money and can no longer pay what it owes.
Like a store that owes far more money than it could ever pay back.
The bank failure wiped out many people's savings overnight.
Several business failures followed the market crash.
UsageOften a bank failure or business failures.
Similarbankruptcy, collapse, insolvency, ruin
Oppositesolvency
Practice
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Origin
It came from an old French word "faillir," meaning "to fail."
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Failure derives from Old French faillir, meaning 'to fail', through Anglo-Norman failer. en.wiktionary.org