noun
failure
FAY-lyuh
noun
1
The state of not achieving a desired or intended result.
"The launch ended in complete failure."
"Fear of failure kept her from applying at first."
2
Not doing something that should have been done.
"The report criticized the company's failure to act on the warnings."
3
The point at which an organ or system stops working properly.
"He was rushed to hospital with heart failure."
4
Someone or something considered unsuccessful.
"The film was a critical and commercial failure."
How to Use Failure
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishNot succeeding, or something/someone that hasn't succeeded — including a medical sense for an organ shutting down.
Common pairings
heart failure
failure to comply
total failure
Word Forms
failures plural
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The launch ended in complete _____.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman failer, from Old French faillir, "to fail," combined with the suffix "-ure."