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failure

[ feyl-yer ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an act or instance of failing fail or proving unsuccessful; lack of success:
His effort ended in failure.
The campaign was a failure.
nonperformance of something due, required, or expected:
a failure to do what one has promised;
a failure to appear.
a subnormal quantity or quality; an insufficiency:
the failure of crops.
deterioration or decay, especially of vigor, strength, etc.:
The failure of her health made retirement necessary.
a condition of being bankrupt by reason of insolvency.
a becoming insolvent or bankrupt:
the failure of a bank.
a person or thing that proves unsuccessful:
He is a failure in his career.
The cake is a failure.

failure

/ ˈ�ڱ�ɪ��ə /

noun

the act or an instance of failing
a person or thing that is unsuccessful or disappointing
the evening was a failure
nonperformance of something required or expected
failure to attend will be punished
cessation of normal operation; breakdown
a power failure
an insufficiency or shortage
a crop failure
a decline or loss, as in health or strength
the fact of not reaching the required standard in an examination, test, course, etc
the act or process of becoming bankrupt or the state of being bankrupt

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Other Word Forms

�Դǲ�·�ڲ��u�� noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of failure¹

First recorded in 1635–45; fail + -ure; replacing failer “a fault, default,” from Anglo-French (noun use of infinitive), for Old French faillir

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Recent years have seen turbulence in Scottish education with concerns over falling standards and a failure to tackle the attainment gap.

From

He said he accepted Akins's remorse was genuine, but said his failure to admit his guilt at an earlier stage prolonged Mrs Daniel's "heartache and grief".

From

Separately, the IDF said earlier this week that "professional failures" had led to the killing of 15 emergency workers in an incident in Gaza last month.

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This failure to fulfill a promise, and then pretend that it was not made, could not have helped Biden’s electoral fortunes and those of Kamala Harris and the Democrats in the 2024 election.

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At the same time, India must reckon with the security failures that allowed the attack to happen in the first place.

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Related Words

failson fain

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