mal·func·tion
ˌmal-ˈfəŋ(k)-shən 
malfunctioned; malfunctioning; malfunctions
: to function imperfectly or badly : fail to operate normally
plural malfunctions
: a failure to operate or function in the normal or correct manner : the action or an instance of malfunctioning
a hardware/equipment malfunction
Once thought to be a disease itself dropsy is now known to be a sign of several kinds of body malfunction, especially congestive heart failure and kidney disease.—
C. Clairborne Ray
C. Clairborne RayIn schizophrenia this filtering system malfunctions or short-circuits. This malfunction causes people to misevaluate what they see, hear, and experience in their environment.—Richard Crino
Richard Crino
Did you know?
A malfunctioning switch might keep us from turning on a light. A malfunctioning heart valve might require replacement with an artificial valve, and if your immune system malfunctions it may start to attack healthy cells. And a malfunction in a voting machine could result in hundreds of votes being miscounted.
Examples of malfunction in a Sentence
Verb
A software problem is causing the system to malfunction.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ty Roush, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Officials were looking into why the landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
But the bollards began to malfunction shortly after the system was installed due to being clogged by Mardi Gras beads, Cantrell said at Wednesday's news conference.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for malfunction 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Officials have suggested the plane’s landing gear malfunctioned before landing, despite there being no signs of malfunction during maintenance checks before the plane departed from Bangkok, according to Kim E-bae, Jeju Air’s CEO.
—Ty Roush, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Officials were looking into why the landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024
Noun
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell reported at a press conference on Wednesday that issues like clogs from Mardi Gras beads caused some bollards to malfunction.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
But the bollards began to malfunction shortly after the system was installed due to being clogged by Mardi Gras beads, Cantrell said at Wednesday's news conference.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for malfunction
Dictionary Entries Near malfunction
Cite this Entry
“Malfunction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malfunction. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
malfunction
verb
mal·func·tion
(ˈ)mal-ˈfəŋ(k)-shən
: to fail to function or operate properly
malfunction
noun
Medical Definition
malfunction
intransitive verb
mal·func·tion
(ˈ)mal-ˈfəŋ(k)-shən
: to function imperfectly or badly : fail to operate in the normal or usual manner
malfunctioning kidneys
malfunction
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share