failure
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
failures
plural
failures
Britannica Dictionary definition of FAILURE
1
:
the act or result of failing: such as
a
:
a lack of success in some effort
—
opposite success
[count]
-
He became discouraged by his repeated failures in business.
[noncount]
-
He was often crippled by his fear of failure.
-
He was trying to rescue the business from failure. [=bankruptcy]
b
:
a situation or occurrence in which something does not work as it should
[count]
-
The storm caused power failures [=outages] in many parts of the city.
-
a failure [=lapse] of memory
[noncount]
-
The accident was caused by engine failure.
-
The patient was suffering from heart/kidney failure.
c
:
an occurrence in which someone does not do something that should be done
— followed by to + verb
[count]
-
The accident was caused by a failure to use proper procedures.
[noncount]
-
She was criticized for failure to follow directions.
d
:
an occurrence in which crops do not grow and produce food in the normal way
[noncount]
-
The drought caused crop failure.
[count]
-
a serious crop failure
2
[count]
:
a person or thing that has failed
—
opposite success
-
He felt like a failure when he wasn't accepted into law school.
-
The scheme was a complete failure.
