failure (redirected from failures)

fail·ure  (flyr)

n.

1. The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends: the failure of an experiment.

2. One that fails: a failure at one's career.

3. The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short: a crop failure.

4. A cessation of proper functioning or performance: a power failure.

5. Nonperformance of what is requested or expected; omission: failure to report a change of address.

6. The act or fact of failing to pass a course, test, or assignment.

7. A decline in strength or effectiveness.

8. The act or fact of becoming bankrupt or insolvent.

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[Alteration of failer, default, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French faillir, to fail; see fail.]

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failure

Noun

1. the act or an instance of failing

2. someone or something that is unsuccessful: he couldn't help but regard his own son as a failure

3. the fact of something required or expected not being done or not happening: his failure to appear at the meeting

4. a halt in normal operation: heart failure

5. a decline or loss of something: crop failure

6. the fact of not reaching the required standard in an examination or test

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	failure - an act that fails; "his failure to pass the test" nonaccomplishment, nonachievement - an act that does not achieve its intended goal flunk, failing - failure to reach a minimum required performance; "his failing the course led to his disqualification"; "he got two flunks on his report" naught - complete failure; "all my efforts led to naught" loss - the act of losing someone or something; "everyone expected him to win so his loss was a shock" lapsing, relapse, relapsing, backsliding, reverting, lapse, reversion - a failure to maintain a higher state misplay, error - (baseball) a failure of a defensive player to make an out when normal play would have sufficed out - (baseball) a failure by a batter or runner to reach a base safely in baseball; "you only get 3 outs per inning" nonconformance, nonconformity - failure to conform to accepted standards of behavior nonpayment, nonremittal, default - act of failing to meet a financial obligation
	2.	failure - an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose; "the surprise party was a complete failure" happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent - an event that happens downfall, ruination, ruin - failure that results in a loss of position or reputation flame-out - a complete or conspicuous failure; "the spectacular flame-out of the company's stock cost many people their life savings" malfunction - a failure to function normally miscarriage, abortion - failure of a plan misfire, miss - a failure to hit (or meet or find etc) bust, fizzle, flop - a complete failure; "the play was a dismal flop" miscreation, malformation - something abnormal or anomalous equipment failure, breakdown - a cessation of normal operation; "there was a power breakdown" defeat, licking - an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest; "it was a narrow defeat"; "the army's only defeat"; "they suffered a convincing licking" success - an event that accomplishes its intended purpose; "let's call heads a success and tails a failure"; "the election was a remarkable success for the Whigs"
	3.	failure - lack of success; "he felt that his entire life had been a failure"; "that year there was a crop failure" circumstances, luck, destiny, fate, fortune, lot, portion - your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you); "whatever my fortune may be"; "deserved a better fate"; "has a happy lot"; "the luck of the Irish"; "a victim of circumstances"; "success that was her portion" bankruptcy - a state of complete lack of some abstract property; "spiritual bankruptcy"; "moral bankruptcy"; "intellectual bankruptcy" bank failure - the inability of a bank to meet its credit obligations crop failure - the failure of crops to produce a marketable surplus dead duck - something doomed to failure; "he finally admitted that the legislation was a dead duck"; "the idea of another TV channel is now a dead duck"; "as theories go, that's a dead duck" success - a state of prosperity or fame; "he is enjoying great success"; "he does not consider wealth synonymous with success"
	4.	failure - a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently nonstarter, unsuccessful person, loser unfortunate, unfortunate person - a person who suffers misfortune bankrupt, insolvent - someone who has insufficient assets to cover their debts flash in the pan - someone who enjoys transient success but then fails dud, flop, washout - someone who is unsuccessful underdog - one at a disadvantage and expected to lose
	5.	failure - an unexpected omission; "he resented my failure to return his call"; "the mechanic's failure to check the brakes" dashing hopes, disappointment - an act (or failure to act) that disappoints someone breach - a failure to perform some promised act or obligation copout - a failure to face some difficulty squarely omission, skip - a mistake resulting from neglect
	6.	failure - inability to discharge all your debts as they come due; "the company had to declare bankruptcy"; "fraudulent loans led to the failure of many banks" bankruptcy insolvency - the lack of financial resources
	7.	failure - loss of ability to function normally; "kidney failure" disorder, upset - a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning; "the doctor prescribed some medicine for the disorder"; "everyone gets stomach upsets from time to time" coronary failure, heart failure - inability of the heart to pump enough blood to sustain normal bodily functions kidney failure, renal failure - inability of the kidneys to excrete wastes and to help maintain the electrolyte balance

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failure

noun 1. lack of success, defeat, collapse, abortion, wreck, frustration, breakdown, overthrow, miscarriage, fiasco, downfall << OPPOSITE success

noun 2. loser, disappointment, no-good, flop (informal) write-off, incompetent, no-hoper chiefly Austral. dud (informal) clinker (slang), chiefly U.S. black sheep, washout (informal) clunker (informal) dead duck (slang) ne'er-do-well, nonstarter

noun 3. negligence, neglect, deficiency, default, shortcoming, omission, oversight, dereliction, nonperformance, nonobservance, nonsuccess, remissness << OPPOSITE observance

noun 4. breakdown, stalling, cutting out, malfunction, crash, disruption, stoppage, mishap, conking out (informal)

noun 5. failing, deterioration, decay, loss, decline

noun 6. bankruptcy, crash, collapse, ruin, folding (informal) closure, winding up, downfall, going under, liquidation, insolvency << OPPOSITE prosperity

Translations

failure [ˈfeɪljəʳ] n → fracaso;

(person) → fracasado/a;

(mechanical etc) → fallo;

(in exam) → suspenso; [of crops] → pérdida, destrucción f;

it was a complete failure → fue un fracaso total

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failure [ˈfeɪljəʳ] fail n → échec m (= person); raté(e);

(mechanical etc) → défaillance f;

his failure to turn up → le fait de n'être pas venu or qu'il ne soit pas venu

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failure [ˈfeɪljəʳ] fail n → Misserfolg m;

(person) → Versager(in) m(f);

(of brakes, heart) → Versagen nt;

(of engine, power) → Ausfall m;

(of crops) → Missernte f;

(in exam) → Durchfall m;

his failure to turn up meant that we had to ... fail → weil er nicht kam, mussten wir ...;

it was a complete failure fail → es war ein totaler Fehlschlag

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failure [ˈfeɪljəʳ] n → fallimento (= person); fallito/a;

(mechanical etc) → guasto;

(in exam) → insuccesso, bocciatura; [of crops] → perdita;

his failure to come → il fatto che non sia venuto;

it was a complete failure → è stato un vero fiasco