# failure

Pronunciation: US say "FAYL-yur" /ˈfeɪ.ljɚ/; UK say "FAYL-yuh" /ˈfeɪ.ljə/

## Noun

1. The state or condition of not meeting a desired or intended goal, the opposite of success.
   - Simple: The state of not reaching a goal you hoped for or aimed at.
   - _The mission's failure disappointed the entire team._
   - _He slowly learned to treat failure as part of growing._
2. The breakdown of a machine, system, or part of the body, so that it stops working properly; heart, liver, or kidney failure is when an organ can no longer do its job.
   - Simple: When a machine, a system, or a part of the body such as the heart stops working properly.
   - _Engine failure forced the pilot to make an emergency landing._
   - _The bridge collapsed after a sudden structural failure._
3. The neglect or omission of something, especially something that should have been done, whether or not any attempt was made.
   - Simple: Not doing something you were supposed to do.
   - _Her failure to report the income eventually led to a heavy fine._
   - _The company's failure to act quickly cost it many customers._
4. A person, object, or effort that has failed or is incapable of succeeding.
   - Simple: A person or thing that has not succeeded at what it set out to do.
   - _Critics called the film a commercial failure._
   - _She refused to see herself as a failure despite the setback._
5. The financial collapse of a business that can no longer pay its debts; bankruptcy.
   - Simple: When a business runs out of money and can no longer pay what it owes.
   - _The firm's failure left hundreds of creditors unpaid._
   - _The failure of the family-owned bakery left dozens of suppliers waiting for payments they would never receive._

## Origin

Old French "faillir" ("to fail") gave Anglo-Norman "failer," the source of the English word.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/failure (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).