1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in defeat
a falling short of one's goals
the failure of the school's fund-raising drive was a big disappointment to all
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disaster
something that has failed
the students' first attempt to build a homemade rocket was a disappointing failure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
the failure of the potato crop had a devastating effect on the population of Ireland
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in bankruptcy
the inability to pay one's debts
years of prolonged economic depression, when business failures were common
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of failure
For many Democrats in Congress, the failure to hold Trump’s national security team accountable signals a broader disregard for truth and accountability.
—
Nik Popli, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
How to develop this trait Create space for productive failure within your organization.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
Officials have responded to the text-thread security failure and other weighty controversies with sass and indifference.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 25 Mar. 2025
Biden was forced to embody his party's failures, but received no credit for his policy successes.
—Justin Peck / Made By History, TIME, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for failure
Nik Popli, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
How to develop this trait Create space for productive failure within your organization.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
Officials have responded to the text-thread security failure and other weighty controversies with sass and indifference.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 25 Mar. 2025
Biden was forced to embody his party's failures, but received no credit for his policy successes.
—Justin Peck / Made By History, TIME, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for failure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for failure
Noun
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Hawley’s parents Anne and William are suing, alleging wrongful death, negligence, a design defect in the coaster and failure to warn riders of potential injury.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2025
-
The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges negligence, design defects and a failure to warn riders about the potential danger of the wing coaster at the Valencia amusement park.—
Brady MacDonald,
Orange County Register,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic defeat, but polls indicate that Carney has recently opened up a lead over Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
-
France was plunged into political chaos last year after Macron called a snap election after suffering a heavy defeat at EU elections.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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However, he’s also had his share of expensive disasters, such as Joao Felix, Santiago Arias and Nikola Kalinić.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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All the while, he’s typically dressed in a form-fitting dress, a shoulder-length wig and heeled boots (because open-toed shoes around hatchets and augers could spell disaster).—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Those shortages have allowed compounding pharmacies to produce and sell their own versions of GLP-1 drugs.—
Fran Kritz,
Verywell Health,
21 Mar. 2025
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Analysis by the think tank outlines how despite Putin's record spending, Russia's military industrial complex (MIC) is still beset by labor and component shortages, a collapse in arms exports and difficulties in modernizing.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In recent months, there's also been bankruptcy filings from TGI Fridays and Red Lobster.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
-
The recent bankruptcy filing of genetic testing company 23andMe, which allows users to spit in a tube and send away the sample for a detailed DNA analysis, has sparked the possibility that the data could revolutionize cold-case cracking.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Both were charged in 2019 with neglect of a dependent.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
-
But ensuring they will be cared for properly can be difficult — especially if operators and providers accused of neglect and abuse are able to fly under the radar.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The building collapse near the city's Chatuchak Market killed at least three people, Thai National Institute for Emergency Medicine said at 4:20 p.m. local time (5:30 a.m. ET).—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2025
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Scandals such as Bernard Madoff’s huge Ponzi scheme discovered earlier this century and the collapse of the energy firm Enron a few years earlier are proof enough of that.—
Roger Trapp,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Many opponents to the legislation have submitted testimony about a lack of public hearings and participation prior to the bills being introduced in the General Assembly.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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That includes the lack of affordable housing, rising health care costs and many residents lacking the resources necessary to access supermarkets and other places where healthy foods are available.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Failure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/failure. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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