Failure is a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity.
This policy is doomed to failure.
Three attempts on the British 200-metre record also ended in failure.
...feelings of failure.
Synonyms: lack of success, defeat, collapse, abortion More Synonyms of failure
2. countable noun
If something is afailure, it is not a success.
The marriage was a failure and they both wanted to be free of it.
His six-year transition programme has by no means been a complete failure.
Synonyms: catastrophe, disaster, fiasco, let-down More Synonyms of failure
3. countable noun
If you say that someone is afailure, you mean that they have not succeeded in a particular activity, or that they are unsuccessful at everything they do.
Elgar received many honors and much acclaim and yet he often considered himself afailure.
I just felt I had been a failure in my personal life.
Synonyms: loser, disappointment, no-good, flop [informal] More Synonyms of failure
4. uncountable noun [NOUN to-infinitive, oft poss NOUN]
Your failureto do a particular thing is the fact that you do not do it, even though you were expected to do it.
She accused the Foreign Office of disgraceful failure to support British citizensarrested overseas.
...their failure to get the product mix right.
5. variable noun [oft noun NOUN]
If there is a failure of something, for example a machine or part of the body, it goes wrong and stops working or developing properly.
There were also several accidents mainly caused by engine failures on take-off.
He was being treated for kidney failure.
Researchers found an almost total crop failure and a severe shortage of drinkingwater.
Synonyms: failing, deterioration, decay, loss More Synonyms of failure
6. variable noun
If there is a failure of a business or bank, it is no longer able to continue operating.
[business]
Business failures rose 16% last month.
Synonyms: bankruptcy, crash, collapse, ruin More Synonyms of failure
7. variable noun [NOUNof noun]
If you say that someone has a failure of a particular quality or ability, you mean that they do not have enough of it.
There is, too, a simple failure of imagination.
He remained on his knees for a long time afterwards, ashamed by his failure of nerve.
More Synonyms of failure
failure in British English
(ˈfeɪljə)
noun
1.
the act or an instance of failing
2.
a person or thing that is unsuccessful or disappointing
the evening was a failure
3.
nonperformance of something required or expected
failure to attend will be punished
4.
cessation of normal operation; breakdown
a power failure
5.
an insufficiency or shortage
a crop failure
6.
a decline or loss, as in health or strength
7.
the fact of not reaching the required standard in an examination, test, course, etc
8.
the act or process of becoming bankrupt or the state of being bankrupt
failure in American English
(ˈfeɪljər)
noun
1.
the act of failing or the state or condition resulting from having failed
; specif.,
a.
a falling short
b.
a losing of power or strength
c.
a breakdown in operation or function
d.
neglect or omission
e.
a not succeeding in doing or becoming
f.
a becoming bankrupt
2.
a person or thing that fails
3. Education
a.
a failing to pass
b. US
a grade or mark (usually F) indicating a failing to pass
Word origin
< earlier failer < Anglo-Fr < OFr faillir: see fail
COBUILD Collocations
failure
bank failure
brake failure
chronic failure
collective failure
continuing failure
costly failure
embarrassing failure
equipment failure
expose a failure
highlight a failure
highlight failures
intelligence failure
miserable failure
perceived failure
policy failure
reward failure
sense of humour failure
signal failure
spectacular failure
suffer a failure
technical failure
utter failure
Examples of 'failure' in a sentence
failure
They were such important providers of mortgages and business loans that failure would have been catastrophic.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They nearly halve the risk of cardiac failure when the heart becomes too weak to pump blood.
The Sun (2016)
There is a fine line between success and failure.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
People say success can breed success but it can also bring failure.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But if there is a power supply failure, all the services go down at once.
Computing (2010)
These failures will continue to happen unless the government tackles the heart of the problem - the chronic underfunding of social care.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I'd spent all my life being in failures.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It had been'almost a complete failure '.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I love his quote:'Success consists of going from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.
The Sun (2017)
Were the pilots not warned of engine failure or did a system erroneously shut down the engines?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
To go on employing it is just rewarding failure.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Heart failure occurs when the heart is damaged or overworked and unable to pump enough blood.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Was it an almost comical failure of nerve?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We must reconsider the protection of animals and also the failures of animal experimentation.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Welfare is the name we give to policy failure in other departments.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It will be no more a failure than any death after a full life is a failure.
Oliver Morton Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet (2007)
This is because measures of success and failure in business are expressed in financial terms.
Harrison, John Finance for the Non-Financial Manager (1989)
Such runs could by themselves lead to bank failures.
Mishkin, Frederic S. Financial Markets, Institutions and Money (1995)
This is a normal ratio of success to failure.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The thing about failure is that it sneaks up on you.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The egos have gone but failure continues.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The failure of the engines had cut the main power.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Yet a sense of failure often haunts those who have loved them.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It was not just a failure of the banks.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This is the price for successive governments' failure to build power plants.
The Sun (2015)
We are spending a fortune as a country subsidising failure - failed programmes and failing lives.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A temporary failure of the body is duly resolved and she is ready to resume.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He blamed the bomber losses on the failure of the fighters to give proper protection, only just stopping short of an outright accusation of cowardice.
Patrick Bishop FIGHTER BOYS: Saving Britain 1940 (2003)
Quotations
There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lipR.B. BarhamThe Ingoldsby Legends
A failure is a stranger in his own houseEric HofferThe Passionate State of Mind
There is not a fiercer hell than the failure in a great objectJohn KeatsEndymion
There is no failure except in no longer tryingElbert HubbardThe Note Book
In other languages
failure
British English: failure /ˈfeɪljə/ NOUN
Failure is a lack of success in doing or achieving something.
The project ended in failure last year.
American English: failure
Arabic: فَشَل
Brazilian Portuguese: fracasso
Chinese: 失败
Croatian: neuspjeh
Czech: nezdar
Danish: fiasko
Dutch: mislukking
European Spanish: fracaso
Finnish: epäonnistuminen
French: échec
German: Versagen
Greek: αποτυχία
Italian: fallimento
Japanese: 失敗
Korean: 실패 성공적이 아님
Norwegian: fiasko
Polish: niepowodzenie
European Portuguese: fracasso
Romanian: eșec
Russian: неудача
Latin American Spanish: fracaso
Swedish: misslyckande
Thai: ความล้มเหลว
Turkish: başarısızlık
Ukrainian: невдача
Vietnamese: sự thất bại
All related terms of 'failure'
bank failure
If something is a failure , it is not a success .
brake failure
If there is a failure of something, for example a machine or part of the body, it goes wrong and stops working or developing properly.
crop failure
a failure of crops to yield sufficient food, etc, to maintain a community or to provide a surplus to sell
heart failure
Heart failure is a serious medical condition in which someone's heart does not work as well as it should, sometimes stopping completely so that they die .
power failure
A power failure is a period of time when the electricity supply to a particular building or area is interrupted, for example because of damage to the cables.
renal failure
a condition in which the kidneys fail to function adequately
utter failure
If something is a failure , it is not a success .
chronic failure
If something is a failure , it is not a success .
costly failure
If something is a failure , it is not a success .
engine failure
failure to operate by the engine of an aircraft, car, or other vehicle
kidney failure
a disorder in which the kidneys stop working properly
policy failure
Failure is a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity.
reward failure
Failure is a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity.
signal failure
Failure is a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity.
collective failure
Failure is a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity.
continuing failure
Failure is a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity.
electrical failure
an instance when an electricity supply stops working
equipment failure
If there is a failure of something, for example a machine or part of the body, it goes wrong and stops working or developing properly.
miserable failure
If something is a failure , it is not a success.
perceived failure
Failure is a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity.
technical failure
If there is a failure of something, for example a machine or part of the body, it goes wrong and stops working or developing properly.
catastrophic failure
Catastrophic failure is sudden and complete failure which cannot be put right.
embarrassing failure
If something is a failure , it is not a success.
expose a failure
Failure is a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity.
intelligence failure
If there is a failure of something, for example a machine or part of the body, it goes wrong and stops working or developing properly.
reciprocity failure
a failure of the two exposure variables , light intensity and exposure time, to behave in a reciprocal fashion at very high or very low values
respiratory failure
a condition in which the respiratory system is unable to provide an adequate supply of oxygen or to remove carbon dioxide efficiently
spectacular failure
If something is a failure , it is not a success.
suffer a failure
If there is a failure of something, for example a machine or part of the body, it goes wrong and stops working or developing properly.
highlight a failure
Failure is a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity.
congestive heart failure
heart failure characterized by weakness , breathlessness, and abnormal congestion in the circulatory system, esp. in the lungs or lower legs
sense of humour failure
If there is a failure of something, for example a machine or part of the body, it goes wrong and stops working or developing properly.
it was a (complete) failure那是个(個)(彻(徹)底的)失败(敗) (nà shì gè (chèdǐ de) shībài)
All related terms of 'failure'
power failure
断(斷)电(電) duàndiàn
an abysmal failure
彻(徹)底的失败(敗) chèdǐ de shībài
failure to do sth
没(沒)有做某事 méiyǒu zuò mǒushì
heart/kidney failure
心力/肾(腎)衰竭 xīnlì/shèn shuāijié
to be doomed to failure
注定要失败(敗) zhùdìng yào shībài
an admission of guilt/failure
承认(認)罪责(責)/失败(敗) chéngrèn zuìzé/shībài
it was a (complete) failure
那是个(個)(彻(徹)底的)失败(敗) nà shì gè (chèdǐ de) shībài
1 (noun)
Definition
the act or an instance of failing
The policy is doomed to failure.
Synonyms
lack of success
defeat
The vote was seen as something of a defeat for the lobbyists.
collapse
Their economy is teetering on the edge of collapse.
abortion
the abortion of the original nuclear project
wreck
frustration
the frustration of their plan
breakdown
the irretrievable breakdown of his marriage
overthrow
They were charged with plotting the overthrow of the state.
miscarriage
The report concluded that no miscarriage of justice had taken place.
fiasco
downfall
His lack of experience led to his downfall.
Opposites
success
,
triumph
,
effectiveness
,
adequacy
2 (noun)
Definition
the act or an instance of failing
The marriage was a failure and they both wanted to be free of it.
Synonyms
catastrophe
The world is heading towards an environmental catastrophe.
disaster
the second air disaster in less than two months
fiasco
The party was a bit of a fiasco.
let-down
trouble
He had never before had any heart trouble.
tragedy
They have suffered an enormous personal tragedy.
blunder
misfortune
He had had his full share of misfortunes.
devastation
calamity
This course of action could only end in calamity.
mishap
After a number of mishaps she finally managed to get back home.
3 (noun)
Definition
someone or something that is unsuccessful
I just felt I had been a failure in my personal life.
Synonyms
loser
the winners and losers of this year's Super Bowl
disappointment
The defeat was a bitter disappointment.
no-good
flop (informal)
The public decide whether a film is a hit or a flop.
write-off
incompetent
no-hoper mainly Australian)
dud (informal)
He's been a dud from day one.
clinker (slang, mainly US)
black sheep
washout (informal)
As a player, he's a complete washout.
clunker (informal)
dead duck (slang)
ne'er-do-well
His father was a spendthrift, an alcoholic and a ne'er-do-well.
saddo (British, slang)
nonstarter
The United States is certain to reject the proposal as a non-starter.
4 (noun)
Definition
the fact of something required or expected not being done or not happening
They didn't prove his case of a failure of duty.
Synonyms
negligence
He was responsible for his patients' deaths through gross negligence.
neglect
her deliberate neglect of her professional duty
deficiency
default
The other team failed to turn up so we won by default.
shortcoming
omission
an injury occasioned by any omission of the defendant
oversight
dereliction
He pleaded guilty to wilful dereliction of duty.
nonperformance
nonobservance
nonsuccess
remissness
Opposites
care
,
observance
5 (noun)
Definition
a halt in normal operation
There were also several accidents mainly caused by engine failures on take-off.
Synonyms
breakdown
The trip was plagued by breakdowns.
stalling
cutting out
malfunction
There must have been a computer malfunction.
crash
disruption
delays and disruption to flights from Britain
stoppage
mishap
conking out (informal)
6 (noun)
Definition
a halt in normal operation
He was being treated for kidney failure.
Synonyms
failing
We are often unaware of our own failings.
deterioration
the rapid deterioration in relations between the two countries
decay
problems of urban decay
loss
decline
Rome's decline in the fifth century.
7 (noun)
Definition
a decline or loss of something
Torrential rain contributed to the crop failure.
Synonyms
scarcity
an ever-increasing scarcity of water
lack
Despite his lack of experience, he got the job.
shortfall
inadequacy
the inadequacy of the water supply
dearth
a dearth of resources
insufficiency
Anaemia is due to insufficiency of iron.
8 (noun)
Business failures rose 16% last month.
Synonyms
bankruptcy
Many established firms were facing bankruptcy.
crash
He predicted correctly that there was going to be a stock market crash.
collapse
ruin
It is the ruin of society.
folding (informal)
closure
winding up
downfall
going under
liquidation
insolvency
Seven of the eight companies are on the brink of insolvency.
Opposites
fortune
,
prosperity
related words
related phobiakakorraphiaphobia
Quotations
There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip [R.B. Barham – The Ingoldsby Legends]A failure is a stranger in his own house [Eric Hoffer – The Passionate State of Mind]There is not a fiercer hell than the failure in a great object [John Keats – Endymion]There is no failure except in no longer trying [Elbert Hubbard – The Note Book]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abortion
Definition
the failure of a mission or project
the abortion of the original nuclear project
Synonyms
failure,
disappointment,
fiasco,
misadventure,
vain effort
in the sense of calamity
Definition
a disaster or misfortune
This course of action could only end in calamity.
Synonyms
disaster,
tragedy,
ruin,
distress,
reversal of fortune,
hardship,
catastrophe,
woe,
misfortune,
downfall,
adversity,
scourge,
mishap,
affliction,
trial,
tribulation,
misadventure,
cataclysm,
wretchedness,
mischance
in the sense of collapse
Definition
a sudden failure or breakdown
Their economy is teetering on the edge of collapse.