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as in negligence
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action your failure to check the batteries in the smoke detector could have tragic results

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as in bankruptcy
the inability to pay one's debts years of prolonged economic depression, when business failures were common

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of failure The slaying, his manifesto, and his medical history have unleashed a wave of contempt for the U.S. healthcare system as well as horror stories about its failures. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2024 The failure of an 11th-hour inspection last week left them seemingly with no option other than to shutter Los Padrinos, which had been open less than a year and a half. James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024 People who are infected may experience mild symptoms, from upper respiratory symptoms to conjunctivitis/pink eye, or more severe symptoms, which include pneumonia, multi-organ failure, or death. Charna Flam, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024 Time: If the prices of groceries don't come down, will your presidency be a failure? Stefan Becket, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for failure 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failure
Noun
  • Daniel Penny, a former Marine on trial for the Manhattan subway death of Jordan Neely, now faces a separate civil lawsuit from Neely’s father alleging negligence, assault, and battery as a jury deliberates Penny’s fate in the criminal case.
    Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 Dec. 2024
  • In a recent legal filing, Weinstein's attorneys claimed the conditions at Rikers amounted to negligence, exacerbating chronic ailments including diabetes and chronic myeloid leukemia.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • That doesn’t mean the Harris defeat is any less painful for her advisers.
    Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
  • The defeat moves the app closer to a U.S. ban, which is set to take effect on Jan. 19, 2025.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The bill would provide $100 billion in funds for cleanup after devastating Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which rocked Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and other Southern states, as well as other disasters.
    Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
  • Developing Highly Detailed Maps Geospatial mapping technology could be better leveraged in disasters.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • This is also a major factor in the inventory shortage problem the market is facing.
    Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
  • With a serious labor shortage and the growing IT skills gap impacting industries and regions across the globe, companies must get creative about finding new talent.
    Allie Danziger, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Health bills are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy.
    Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2024
  • Health care expenses are a top cause of bankruptcy in the U.S., a 2019 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found.
    Gretchen Morgenson, NBC News, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Lewis, 57, was charged with one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and Scala, 67, was charged with fourth-degree abuse and neglect of children.
    Landon Mion, Fox News, 15 Dec. 2024
  • Many of the babies born in the Magdalene Laundries, died from starvation, from the cold and from neglect.
    Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Massachusetts officials repeatedly failed to hold Steward Health Care accountable for regulatory violations for over a decade, contributing to the hospital chain's eventual collapse and undermining parts of the state's health care system.
    Mike Deehan, Axios, 16 Dec. 2024
  • Lawmaking has largely ground to halt since the government’s collapse.
    Sophie Tanno, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Windows 11 is still an appalling tablet OS with a crippling lack of touch-friendly apps, and the stylus has an irritating input lag that makes scribbling on screen unsatisfactory.
    Barry Collins, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
  • There is a lack of medical supplies, including prosthetics, wheelchairs and essential medications to treat people with injuries that have left them disabled, the press release said.
    Diaa Ostaz, ABC News, 14 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near failure

Cite this Entry

“Failure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failure. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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