Adjacent Words

Failure definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FA'ILURE, n. fa'ilyur.
1. A failing; deficience; cessation of supply, or total defect; as the failure of springs or streams; failure of rain; failure of crops.
2. Omission; non-performance; as the failure of a promise; a man's failure in the execution of a trust.
3. Decay, or defect from decay; as the failure of memory or of sight.
4. A breaking, or becoming insolvent. At the close of a war, the prices of commodities fall, and innumerable failures secceed.
5. A failing; a slight fault. [Little used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an act that fails; "his failure to pass the test"
2: an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose; "the surprise party was a complete failure" [ant: success]
3: lack of success; "he felt that his entire life had been a failure"; "that year there was a crop failure" [ant: success]
4: a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently [syn: failure, loser, nonstarter, unsuccessful person] [ant: achiever, succeeder, success, winner]
5: an unexpected omission; "he resented my failure to return his call"; "the mechanic's failure to check the brakes"
6: 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" [syn: bankruptcy, failure]
7: loss of ability to function normally; "kidney failure"

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: alteration of earlier failer, from Anglo-French, from Old French faillir to fail Date: 1643 1. a. omission of occurrence or performance; specifically a failing to perform a duty or expected action <failure to pay the rent on time> b. (1) a state of inability to perform a normal function <kidney failure> — compare heart failure (2) an abrupt cessation of normal functioning <a power failure> c. a fracturing or giving way under stress <structural failure> 2. a. lack of success b. a failing in business ; bankruptcy 3. a. a falling short ; deficiency <a crop failure> b. deterioration, decay 4. one that has failed

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 lack of success; failing. 2 an unsuccessful person, thing, or attempt. 3 non-performance, non-occurrence. 4 breaking down or ceasing to function (heart failure; engine failure). 5 running short of supply etc. 6 bankruptcy, collapse. Etymology: earlier failer f. AF, = OF faillir FAIL

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Failure Fail"ure, n. [From Fail.] 1. Cessation of supply, or total defect; a failing; deficiency; as, failure of rain; failure of crops. 2. Omission; nonperformance; as, the failure to keep a promise. 3. Want of success; the state of having failed. 4. Decay, or defect from decay; deterioration; as, the failure of memory or of sight. 5. A becoming insolvent; bankruptcy; suspension of payment; as, failure in business. 6. A failing; a slight fault. [Obs.] --Johnson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(failures) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. 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. ? success 2. If something is a failure, 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. ? success N-COUNT 3. If you say that someone is a failure, 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 a failure... ? success N-COUNT 4. Your failure to do a particular thing is the fact that you do not do it, even though you were expected to do it. ...their failure to get the product mix right. N-UNCOUNT: N to-inf, oft poss N 5. 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... N-VAR: with supp, oft n N 6. 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. = collapse N-VAR: with supp

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Deficiency, defectiveness, shortcoming. 2. Omission, neglect, fail, non-performance, non-observance. 3. Miscarriage, botch, abortion, ill success, flash in the pan, labor for one's pains, losing game, wild-goose chase, sleeveless errand. 4. Insolvency, bankruptcy, suspension of payment, failing, becoming bankrupt or insolvent. 5. Decay, decline, declension, loss.

Foolish Dictionary

The quickest method known for making money.

Moby Thesaurus

Grand Guignol, Passion play, Sisyphean labor, Tom show, Waterloo, also-ran, antimasque, arrear, arrearage, arrears, atrocity, audience success, bad habit, bafflement, balk, ballet, bankrupt, bankruptcy, baseness, beating, besetting sin, betrayed hope, blasted expectation, blemish, blighted hope, blow, bomb, bootlessness, botch, bouncing check, breach, breakdown, broadcast drama, buffet, bug, burlesque show, bust, catch, charade, clerical error, cliff hanger, closet drama, collapse, comedown, comedy drama, conquering, conquest, corrigendum, counterproductiveness, counterproductivity, crack, crash, crime, crime against humanity, critical success, cruel disappointment, culpa, culpable negligence, dash, dashed hope, daytime serial, dead duck, deadly sin, dearth, deathblow, debacle, debasement, debilitation, decadence, decadency, decay, declension, declination, decline, defalcation, default, defeat, defect, defection, defectiveness, deficiency, deficit, deformation, degeneracy, 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