Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "failure" []

  • The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends: the failure of an experiment. (noun)
  • One that fails: a failure at one's career. (noun)
  • The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short: a crop failure. (noun)
  • A cessation of proper functioning or performance: a power failure. (noun)
  • Nonperformance of what is requested or expected; omission: failure to report a change of address. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "failure" in a sentence
  • "They write books about success through failure and the power of ­failure."
  • "As narrator Gina Moynihan slyly points out about her niece's education, the term "failure to love" is now favored in school over that heavy word "sin.""
  • "You compare THAT issue and the use of the term failure versus what is currently going on with our economy, and what "failure" means on that matter???"