Definition of failure in English:

failure

noun ˈfeɪljəˈfeɪljər

mass noun

1Lack of success.
an economic policy that is doomed to failure
Example sentencesExamples
- Depending on which side you stand, success is failure, victory is disaster.
- However, the sheer irrationality of continuing to expand a policy doomed to failure begs an explanation.
- This implies that you read omission to mean failure where you ought to have done something.
- It may be argued that the degree of disturbance of these areas is a barometer of the success or failure of the policies adopted here for the past five decades.
- Plus, dealing with failure would require more than running to a shop with the receipt for a warranty exchange.
- The medical device industry cannot deliver anything close to perfection unless it expects failure.
- Hence, the high rate of hatching failure in bee-eaters requires explanation.
- Corruption takes root when donors expect failure and recipients know that dismal performance will bring no adverse consequences.
- Techniques of open mastoid or modified radical mastoidectomy that are required to avoid failure are discussed and illustrated.
- For this reason health should be the pre-eminent measure of the success or failure of development policies in the next century.
- All the success and all the failure, all the experiences I have been blessed with-I took them with me when I went to the block.
- There has been an inadequate emphasis in some cases on real discovery, which requires a tolerance of failure.
- He is thus responsible for the success or failure of his policies.
- New national policies are doomed to failure if they are not part of an overall solution.
- He said the principal officials will be accountable to the chief executive for the success or failure of their policy initiatives.
- He is paid a fixed salary and will not be affected financially by the success or failure of the policy on competing interests.
- Key factors influencing the success or failure of the government's policy are likely to be psychological in nature.
- As you can see from the photos, the rivets form an integral part of the chassis, so rivet failure will require frame replacement.
- Success or failure of disaster response is determined greatly by access to communication and reliable information.
- Both the success and the failure of this movie are to be found in the author's treatment of the narrative.
Synonyms
lack of success, non-success, non-fulfilment, abortion, miscarriage, defeat, frustration, collapse, foundering, misfiring, coming to nothing, falling through
informal fizzling out
fiasco, debacle, catastrophe, disaster, blunder, vain attempt, abortion, defeat
British damp squib
informal flop, botch, hash, foul-up, screw-up, washout, let-down, dead loss, dead duck, lead balloon, lemon, fail
British informal cock-up, pig's ear
North American informal snafu, clinker
vulgar slang fuck-up, balls-up
1. 1.1count noun An unsuccessful person or thing.
  bad weather had resulted in crop failures
  Example sentencesExamples
  We fully expected each failure, because we knew quite well when we had broken the rules.
  Despite the fact that GM crops are a failure, they are urging the government to remove the ban or be left behind.
  By the end of October the national wheat crop was a total failure.
  There are 22,000 schools in Britain, many, by this Government's own reckoning, failures in the business of education.
  The thread that connects these failures is the lack of true trilateral cooperation.
  But the very lack of documented failures in the co-management literature is in itself suspicious.
  A severe drought has left much of the country parched and barren, with some crops declared a complete failure.
  But maybe that phone number screw-up is just so abysmal that it's got to be graded a failure.
  Remember, there are no failures in the business of plan implementation, only feedback.
  Cassie is considered somewhat a failure since she was unsuccessful in joining the school's social elite.
  I was trying to say that I feel a failure for not providing enough for us three to live on this month.
  Synonyms
  loser, born loser, incompetent, non-achiever, underachiever, ne'er-do-well, disappointment, write-off
  no one, nobody
  informal no-hoper, flop, dud, non-starter, washout, dead loss, lemon
  inadequacy, insufficiency, deficiency, lack, dearth, scarcity, shortfall
2The neglect or omission of expected or required action.
their failure to comply with the basic rules
Example sentencesExamples
- In all those cases the omission relied on is failure on the part of the defendant to exercise its statutory powers.
- Colleges could face stiff sanctions for failure to comply with requirements, the bill states.
- Darwin's foremost omission was his failure to progress in elucidating the principles of genetics.
- We should bear in mind though that growth is never guaranteed and that failure to deliver expected growth could be severely punished.
- It is what the people expect and its failure to govern decisively is the source of popular disillusion with Scottish democracy.
- There was no physical act on the part of D which caused the injury but rather an omission, i.e. his failure to apply the handbrake.
- All these cases were due to failure to comply with the necessary requirements for entering the country, Varvarigu said.
- The strictest compliance was expected and failure to comply meant harsh punishment.
- Gone was the swagger and prevision to be replaced with a few slack passes and failure to read situations.
- There is no requirement that failure to comply with these provisions has any causative relationship to the making of the statement.
Synonyms
negligence, remissness, non-observance, non-performance, dereliction
omission, neglect, oversight
1. 2.1count noun A lack or deficiency of a desirable quality.
  a failure of imagination
  Example sentencesExamples
  This was a failure of policy, management, capability, and above all, a failure of imagination.
  In the end, the panel blames institutions, not individuals for failures primarily of imagination.
  It's an interesting idea, but I suspect that it's suffering from a failure of imagination.
  To a jaded eye it looked like a mass failure of imagination.
  And - in what is perhaps a failure of imagination on my part - I can't figure out what else he meant by this.
  The recent floods in Yorkshire were lamentably derivative and showed a complete failure of creative imagination.
  Incapacity to do this signals a failure of the imagination and/or basic knowledge of the ground-level details.
  But I don't expect that kind of failure of the basic responsibilities of the office.
  It was a failure of imagination of epic proportions on my part.
  He was the tangible symbol of the Baby Boom, its conceits, its self-absorption, its lack of discipline and failures of responsibility.
  To put it generously, this was a terrible failure of imagination.
  When it is understood how common ‘normal accidents’ are, it is recognized why failures in quality and safety occur.
  To use something once and then toss it onto the rubbish heap is not just an act of profligacy, it is also represents a failure of the collective imagination.
  What if we are suffering from a failure of imagination?
  But it cannot be effective without reform of its two main failures - a lack of clear direction and the inefficient management of participatory time.
  Or do these final chapters represent conjoined failures of imagination and tolerance on the author's part?
  I didn't realise then that that was merely a failure of imagination.
  We are more tolerant of failures in quality now, and more receptive, at last, to the thought that the idea is more important than the medium.
  I was watching a space programme about the reason why one of the missions failed in the 60s and they called it a failure of imagination.
  A spokesman from Orkney Islands Council said there was no suggestion of any failures in the quality of the service provided by staff to the food industry and consumers.
3The action or state of not functioning.
symptoms of heart failure
count noun a chance engine failure
Example sentencesExamples
- Many more develop acute respiratory failure and require mechanical ventilation.
- It is also necessary to exclude reversible causes of failure of brain function, including depressant drugs and hypothermia.
- Five per cent end up with progressive chronic disease and are likely to develop end stage liver failure requiring transplants.
- The concern about engine failure can only be understood by pilots who have flown long distances over water in an airplane with one engine.
- These events will typically be copier parts that have failed, leading to the effect of a copier function failure.
- Kidney failure occurs when kidney function deteriorates to such an extent that death will occur without renal replacement therapy such as haemodialysis.
- The damage can lead to poor liver function and liver failure.
- A key problem in many patients with respiratory failure requiring intubation is fatigue of respiratory muscles.
- He exposed them to great danger, sending them off in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats that experienced engine failure, or sank.
- If the General Electric-made engines can be recovered reasonably intact it might be possible to determine if there had been some form of engine failure.
- This is important for patients with impaired kidney function or liver failure who cannot clear the extra ammonia.
- The 30 ft vessel, Brilliant, with two people on board, suffered engine failure around 7pm on Sunday.
- Ian Grant has suffered total renal failure and now requires dialysis three times a week.
- He told the jury he had battled to keep the Lynx helicopter under control after it had suffered engine failure.
- Last year his appendix burst and this, doctors believe, is what led to him suffering acute kidney failure, which required more emergency surgery.
- Cost will be an issue, as the procedure will also plan for hardware failure requiring redundancy of actual computers etc.
- Her respiratory failure requiring intubation was due to bilateral obstructing broncholiths.
- In view of the role played by aneuploidy in carcinogenesis and in human reproductive failure, this omission is perhaps surprising.
- All 4 experienced muscular weakness and respiratory failure that required intubation.
- Air crash investigators said engine failure may have been one of the factors to blame for the tragedy that unfolded near Hemingbrough.
Synonyms
breaking down, breakdown, non-function, cutting out, seizing up
1. 3.1count noun A sudden cessation of power.
  a sudden power failure
  Example sentencesExamples
  Britain could face huge power failures this winter unless consumers pay more for electricity, a top Government energy adviser warned yesterday.
  The storms hit Enniscorthy and New Ross in Wexford first yesterday at about 7am, causing power failures there until about 10.30 am.
  The most common type of case involved tenants asking for rent reductions due to overdue repairs, but complaints ranged from gaping holes in the walls and power failures to mushrooms and rats.
  Strikes, accidents, weather, power failures - does it really matter why the trains aren't running?
  She is leading a team of researchers who are trying to prevent future power failures by making energy-sucking office buildings ultra-efficient at peak hours.
  Four power failures were reported on January 2, 10, 11 and 13, following at least 16 separate incidences last year.
  It was doubtful whether the serious traveller bothered himself too much about such things as power failures, which were part of life and can happen anywhere.
  Frequent electrical power failures and cuts were causing much concern and expense to industry, the meeting heard.
  The power failures are due to the damage of our line at our Yatton Keynell sub station.
  During any sudden power failure, the system automatically switches to regular electricity.
  ‘Power failures are averaging out to two to three hours a day at a stretch,’ explains his friend, a Faisal Town resident.
  The move follows two power failures in 1999 when patients on life support machines had to be ventilated manually because of the failure of an emergency generator.
  Our reliance on such machinery was previously highlighted two years ago, when the hospital's theatres and intensive care unit were hit by power failures.
  Power failures have been a recurring problem in Braintree and its surrounding villages, particularly in Great Notley, Black Notley and Rayne.
  However, this meant there was temporary overloading on other supply sources, causing power failures in various parts of the town.
  The emergency powerhouse has been fired up to check the entire system, as a power failure in mid winter would be absolutely no fun at all.
  I suggest it's time to investigate various aircraft accidents, power failures, and claims of abductions with the realization that UFOs are real.
  We already have a 24-hour service to repair any power failures in the 11-kv line.
  Scattered power failures affecting an estimated 137,000 utility customers were reported across the coast as the wind and rain increased.
  If you want to know all about great power failures, this website will tell you absolutely everything about them.
  Synonyms
  breaking down, breakdown, non-function, cutting out, seizing up
2. 3.2count noun The collapse of a business.
  business failures rose by 53%
  Example sentencesExamples
  And more business headlines reveal company failures, wobbly financial markets and the impact of all this on workers' pension plans.
  Some of his business failures were as spectacular as his lavish lifestyle, which was legendary.
  In four years small business failures have trebled.
  The Americans believe that in business, failures are inevitable.
  This has led to a worldwide assault on auto workers' jobs, as well as business failures, including the bankruptcy announcement earlier this month by Daewoo Motors of South Korea.
  However, we also recognise that these extra resources will not go far enough to solve the problems and prevent more business failures and bed blocking.
  Transfer tax consequences, forced liquidation and business failures are among the dismal results of poor succession planning.
  Are we going to see more closures or failures in the ISP business?
  Mass employment and low interest rates, shortages, quotas and regulations were the staples of the British economy in the late 1940s and business failures were few.
  He added that, with 17 outdoor shops in the town and a number of recent failures of similar businesses, the new shop may not be viable and could also fall into disrepair.
  Many personal bankruptcies are related to small business failures because business loans are often secured over personal assets.
  Business failures in the North-west increased by 10.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year.
  There'll indeed be plenty of business failures, including some weird ones that nobody saw coming.
  While you may trust your own children, should they get divorced or be subject to a business failure, your home could be deemed part of their assets and given to another.
  This coincides with rising or record levels of poverty, homelessness, job insecurity, personal bankruptcies and small business failures.
  The incidence of business failures provides a vivid reminder of how fundamentally corporate activity affects the lives and livelihoods of people and communities worldwide.
  There will always be business failures, some of them inevitable disappointments and some shocking in their unpredictably, but corporate Scotland as a whole should not get unduly depressed.
  When the Great Depression came in 1929 and business failures became the order of the day Holt, like everyone else, was placed under tremendous pressure.
  It was one of the most high profile Scottish business failures of recent years and left millions owing to creditors.
  Business failures in the area have bucked the national trend by falling.
  Synonyms
  collapse, crash, going under, bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, close-down, closure, closing, shutting down, winding up, termination
  decline, failing, foundering, sinking, ruin, ruination
  informal folding, flop

Origin

Mid 17th century (originally as failer, in the senses 'non-occurrence' and 'cessation of supply'): from Anglo-Norman French failer for Old French faillir (see fail).

Definition of failure in US English:

failure

nounˈfālyərˈfeɪljər

1Lack of success.
an economic policy that is doomed to failure
the failures of his policies
Example sentencesExamples
- Hence, the high rate of hatching failure in bee-eaters requires explanation.
- As you can see from the photos, the rivets form an integral part of the chassis, so rivet failure will require frame replacement.
- He said the principal officials will be accountable to the chief executive for the success or failure of their policy initiatives.
- He is thus responsible for the success or failure of his policies.
- Techniques of open mastoid or modified radical mastoidectomy that are required to avoid failure are discussed and illustrated.
- New national policies are doomed to failure if they are not part of an overall solution.
- It may be argued that the degree of disturbance of these areas is a barometer of the success or failure of the policies adopted here for the past five decades.
- Plus, dealing with failure would require more than running to a shop with the receipt for a warranty exchange.
- For this reason health should be the pre-eminent measure of the success or failure of development policies in the next century.
- Key factors influencing the success or failure of the government's policy are likely to be psychological in nature.
- He is paid a fixed salary and will not be affected financially by the success or failure of the policy on competing interests.
- Depending on which side you stand, success is failure, victory is disaster.
- Success or failure of disaster response is determined greatly by access to communication and reliable information.
- All the success and all the failure, all the experiences I have been blessed with-I took them with me when I went to the block.
- Both the success and the failure of this movie are to be found in the author's treatment of the narrative.
- However, the sheer irrationality of continuing to expand a policy doomed to failure begs an explanation.
- Corruption takes root when donors expect failure and recipients know that dismal performance will bring no adverse consequences.
- This implies that you read omission to mean failure where you ought to have done something.
- The medical device industry cannot deliver anything close to perfection unless it expects failure.
- There has been an inadequate emphasis in some cases on real discovery, which requires a tolerance of failure.
Synonyms
lack of success, non-success, non-fulfilment, abortion, miscarriage, defeat, frustration, collapse, foundering, misfiring, coming to nothing, falling through
fiasco, debacle, catastrophe, disaster, blunder, vain attempt, abortion, defeat
1. 1.1 An unsuccessful person, enterprise, or thing.
  bad weather had resulted in crop failures
  Example sentencesExamples
  Cassie is considered somewhat a failure since she was unsuccessful in joining the school's social elite.
  A severe drought has left much of the country parched and barren, with some crops declared a complete failure.
  We fully expected each failure, because we knew quite well when we had broken the rules.
  The thread that connects these failures is the lack of true trilateral cooperation.
  By the end of October the national wheat crop was a total failure.
  Remember, there are no failures in the business of plan implementation, only feedback.
  But the very lack of documented failures in the co-management literature is in itself suspicious.
  But maybe that phone number screw-up is just so abysmal that it's got to be graded a failure.
  Despite the fact that GM crops are a failure, they are urging the government to remove the ban or be left behind.
  I was trying to say that I feel a failure for not providing enough for us three to live on this month.
  There are 22,000 schools in Britain, many, by this Government's own reckoning, failures in the business of education.
  Synonyms
  loser, born loser, incompetent, non-achiever, underachiever, ne'er-do-well, disappointment, write-off
  inadequacy, insufficiency, deficiency, lack, dearth, scarcity, shortfall
2The omission of expected or required action.
their failure to comply with the basic rules
Example sentencesExamples
- It is what the people expect and its failure to govern decisively is the source of popular disillusion with Scottish democracy.
- There was no physical act on the part of D which caused the injury but rather an omission, i.e. his failure to apply the handbrake.
- There is no requirement that failure to comply with these provisions has any causative relationship to the making of the statement.
- In all those cases the omission relied on is failure on the part of the defendant to exercise its statutory powers.
- All these cases were due to failure to comply with the necessary requirements for entering the country, Varvarigu said.
- We should bear in mind though that growth is never guaranteed and that failure to deliver expected growth could be severely punished.
- The strictest compliance was expected and failure to comply meant harsh punishment.
- Gone was the swagger and prevision to be replaced with a few slack passes and failure to read situations.
- Colleges could face stiff sanctions for failure to comply with requirements, the bill states.
- Darwin's foremost omission was his failure to progress in elucidating the principles of genetics.
Synonyms
negligence, remissness, non-observance, non-performance, dereliction
1. 2.1 A lack or deficiency of a desirable quality.
  a failure of imagination
  Example sentencesExamples
  It was a failure of imagination of epic proportions on my part.
  But I don't expect that kind of failure of the basic responsibilities of the office.
  To put it generously, this was a terrible failure of imagination.
  To a jaded eye it looked like a mass failure of imagination.
  Or do these final chapters represent conjoined failures of imagination and tolerance on the author's part?
  This was a failure of policy, management, capability, and above all, a failure of imagination.
  When it is understood how common ‘normal accidents’ are, it is recognized why failures in quality and safety occur.
  But it cannot be effective without reform of its two main failures - a lack of clear direction and the inefficient management of participatory time.
  In the end, the panel blames institutions, not individuals for failures primarily of imagination.
  He was the tangible symbol of the Baby Boom, its conceits, its self-absorption, its lack of discipline and failures of responsibility.
  The recent floods in Yorkshire were lamentably derivative and showed a complete failure of creative imagination.
  To use something once and then toss it onto the rubbish heap is not just an act of profligacy, it is also represents a failure of the collective imagination.
  It's an interesting idea, but I suspect that it's suffering from a failure of imagination.
  I didn't realise then that that was merely a failure of imagination.
  A spokesman from Orkney Islands Council said there was no suggestion of any failures in the quality of the service provided by staff to the food industry and consumers.
  I was watching a space programme about the reason why one of the missions failed in the 60s and they called it a failure of imagination.
  What if we are suffering from a failure of imagination?
  And - in what is perhaps a failure of imagination on my part - I can't figure out what else he meant by this.
  Incapacity to do this signals a failure of the imagination and/or basic knowledge of the ground-level details.
  We are more tolerant of failures in quality now, and more receptive, at last, to the thought that the idea is more important than the medium.
3The action or state of not functioning.
symptoms of heart failure
an engine failure
Example sentencesExamples
- A key problem in many patients with respiratory failure requiring intubation is fatigue of respiratory muscles.
- It is also necessary to exclude reversible causes of failure of brain function, including depressant drugs and hypothermia.
- The concern about engine failure can only be understood by pilots who have flown long distances over water in an airplane with one engine.
- Last year his appendix burst and this, doctors believe, is what led to him suffering acute kidney failure, which required more emergency surgery.
- This is important for patients with impaired kidney function or liver failure who cannot clear the extra ammonia.
- These events will typically be copier parts that have failed, leading to the effect of a copier function failure.
- Ian Grant has suffered total renal failure and now requires dialysis three times a week.
- In view of the role played by aneuploidy in carcinogenesis and in human reproductive failure, this omission is perhaps surprising.
- He told the jury he had battled to keep the Lynx helicopter under control after it had suffered engine failure.
- Her respiratory failure requiring intubation was due to bilateral obstructing broncholiths.
- The 30 ft vessel, Brilliant, with two people on board, suffered engine failure around 7pm on Sunday.
- Kidney failure occurs when kidney function deteriorates to such an extent that death will occur without renal replacement therapy such as haemodialysis.
- Five per cent end up with progressive chronic disease and are likely to develop end stage liver failure requiring transplants.
- Air crash investigators said engine failure may have been one of the factors to blame for the tragedy that unfolded near Hemingbrough.
- Many more develop acute respiratory failure and require mechanical ventilation.
- Cost will be an issue, as the procedure will also plan for hardware failure requiring redundancy of actual computers etc.
- The damage can lead to poor liver function and liver failure.
- He exposed them to great danger, sending them off in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats that experienced engine failure, or sank.
- All 4 experienced muscular weakness and respiratory failure that required intubation.
- If the General Electric-made engines can be recovered reasonably intact it might be possible to determine if there had been some form of engine failure.
Synonyms
breaking down, breakdown, non-function, cutting out, seizing up
1. 3.1 A sudden cessation of power.
  Example sentencesExamples
  The storms hit Enniscorthy and New Ross in Wexford first yesterday at about 7am, causing power failures there until about 10.30 am.
  Power failures have been a recurring problem in Braintree and its surrounding villages, particularly in Great Notley, Black Notley and Rayne.
  During any sudden power failure, the system automatically switches to regular electricity.
  Four power failures were reported on January 2, 10, 11 and 13, following at least 16 separate incidences last year.
  She is leading a team of researchers who are trying to prevent future power failures by making energy-sucking office buildings ultra-efficient at peak hours.
  We already have a 24-hour service to repair any power failures in the 11-kv line.
  However, this meant there was temporary overloading on other supply sources, causing power failures in various parts of the town.
  Strikes, accidents, weather, power failures - does it really matter why the trains aren't running?
  The most common type of case involved tenants asking for rent reductions due to overdue repairs, but complaints ranged from gaping holes in the walls and power failures to mushrooms and rats.
  Frequent electrical power failures and cuts were causing much concern and expense to industry, the meeting heard.
  Britain could face huge power failures this winter unless consumers pay more for electricity, a top Government energy adviser warned yesterday.
  Our reliance on such machinery was previously highlighted two years ago, when the hospital's theatres and intensive care unit were hit by power failures.
  The emergency powerhouse has been fired up to check the entire system, as a power failure in mid winter would be absolutely no fun at all.
  ‘Power failures are averaging out to two to three hours a day at a stretch,’ explains his friend, a Faisal Town resident.
  If you want to know all about great power failures, this website will tell you absolutely everything about them.
  The power failures are due to the damage of our line at our Yatton Keynell sub station.
  I suggest it's time to investigate various aircraft accidents, power failures, and claims of abductions with the realization that UFOs are real.
  The move follows two power failures in 1999 when patients on life support machines had to be ventilated manually because of the failure of an emergency generator.
  It was doubtful whether the serious traveller bothered himself too much about such things as power failures, which were part of life and can happen anywhere.
  Scattered power failures affecting an estimated 137,000 utility customers were reported across the coast as the wind and rain increased.
  Synonyms
  breaking down, breakdown, non-function, cutting out, seizing up
2. 3.2 The collapse of a business.
  Example sentencesExamples
  Many personal bankruptcies are related to small business failures because business loans are often secured over personal assets.
  When the Great Depression came in 1929 and business failures became the order of the day Holt, like everyone else, was placed under tremendous pressure.
  While you may trust your own children, should they get divorced or be subject to a business failure, your home could be deemed part of their assets and given to another.
  In four years small business failures have trebled.
  However, we also recognise that these extra resources will not go far enough to solve the problems and prevent more business failures and bed blocking.
  And more business headlines reveal company failures, wobbly financial markets and the impact of all this on workers' pension plans.
  Mass employment and low interest rates, shortages, quotas and regulations were the staples of the British economy in the late 1940s and business failures were few.
  Are we going to see more closures or failures in the ISP business?
  He added that, with 17 outdoor shops in the town and a number of recent failures of similar businesses, the new shop may not be viable and could also fall into disrepair.
  Transfer tax consequences, forced liquidation and business failures are among the dismal results of poor succession planning.
  The incidence of business failures provides a vivid reminder of how fundamentally corporate activity affects the lives and livelihoods of people and communities worldwide.
  There will always be business failures, some of them inevitable disappointments and some shocking in their unpredictably, but corporate Scotland as a whole should not get unduly depressed.
  There'll indeed be plenty of business failures, including some weird ones that nobody saw coming.
  The Americans believe that in business, failures are inevitable.
  Some of his business failures were as spectacular as his lavish lifestyle, which was legendary.
  This has led to a worldwide assault on auto workers' jobs, as well as business failures, including the bankruptcy announcement earlier this month by Daewoo Motors of South Korea.
  It was one of the most high profile Scottish business failures of recent years and left millions owing to creditors.
  This coincides with rising or record levels of poverty, homelessness, job insecurity, personal bankruptcies and small business failures.
  Business failures in the North-west increased by 10.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year.
  Business failures in the area have bucked the national trend by falling.
  Synonyms
  collapse, crash, going under, bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, close-down, closure, closing, shutting down, winding up, termination

Origin

Mid 17th century (originally as failer, in the senses ‘non-occurrence’ and ‘cessation of supply’): from Anglo-Norman French failer for Old French faillir (see fail).

单词	failure
释义	Definition of failure in English: failure noun ˈfeɪljəˈfeɪljər mass noun 1Lack of success. an economic policy that is doomed to failure Example sentencesExamples Depending on which side you stand, success is failure, victory is disaster. However, the sheer irrationality of continuing to expand a policy doomed to failure begs an explanation. This implies that you read omission to mean failure where you ought to have done something. It may be argued that the degree of disturbance of these areas is a barometer of the success or failure of the policies adopted here for the past five decades. Plus, dealing with failure would require more than running to a shop with the receipt for a warranty exchange. The medical device industry cannot deliver anything close to perfection unless it expects failure. Hence, the high rate of hatching failure in bee-eaters requires explanation. Corruption takes root when donors expect failure and recipients know that dismal performance will bring no adverse consequences. Techniques of open mastoid or modified radical mastoidectomy that are required to avoid failure are discussed and illustrated. For this reason health should be the pre-eminent measure of the success or failure of development policies in the next century. All the success and all the failure, all the experiences I have been blessed with-I took them with me when I went to the block. There has been an inadequate emphasis in some cases on real discovery, which requires a tolerance of failure. He is thus responsible for the success or failure of his policies. New national policies are doomed to failure if they are not part of an overall solution. He said the principal officials will be accountable to the chief executive for the success or failure of their policy initiatives. He is paid a fixed salary and will not be affected financially by the success or failure of the policy on competing interests. Key factors influencing the success or failure of the government's policy are likely to be psychological in nature. As you can see from the photos, the rivets form an integral part of the chassis, so rivet failure will require frame replacement. Success or failure of disaster response is determined greatly by access to communication and reliable information. Both the success and the failure of this movie are to be found in the author's treatment of the narrative. Synonyms lack of success, non-success, non-fulfilment, abortion, miscarriage, defeat, frustration, collapse, foundering, misfiring, coming to nothing, falling through informal fizzling out fiasco, debacle, catastrophe, disaster, blunder, vain attempt, abortion, defeat British damp squib informal flop, botch, hash, foul-up, screw-up, washout, let-down, dead loss, dead duck, lead balloon, lemon, fail British informal cock-up, pig's ear North American informal snafu, clinker vulgar slang fuck-up, balls-up 1.1count noun An unsuccessful person or thing. bad weather had resulted in crop failures Example sentencesExamples We fully expected each failure, because we knew quite well when we had broken the rules. Despite the fact that GM crops are a failure, they are urging the government to remove the ban or be left behind. By the end of October the national wheat crop was a total failure. There are 22,000 schools in Britain, many, by this Government's own reckoning, failures in the business of education. The thread that connects these failures is the lack of true trilateral cooperation. But the very lack of documented failures in the co-management literature is in itself suspicious. A severe drought has left much of the country parched and barren, with some crops declared a complete failure. But maybe that phone number screw-up is just so abysmal that it's got to be graded a failure. Remember, there are no failures in the business of plan implementation, only feedback. Cassie is considered somewhat a failure since she was unsuccessful in joining the school's social elite. I was trying to say that I feel a failure for not providing enough for us three to live on this month. Synonyms loser, born loser, incompetent, non-achiever, underachiever, ne'er-do-well, disappointment, write-off no one, nobody informal no-hoper, flop, dud, non-starter, washout, dead loss, lemon inadequacy, insufficiency, deficiency, lack, dearth, scarcity, shortfall 2The neglect or omission of expected or required action. their failure to comply with the basic rules Example sentencesExamples In all those cases the omission relied on is failure on the part of the defendant to exercise its statutory powers. Colleges could face stiff sanctions for failure to comply with requirements, the bill states. Darwin's foremost omission was his failure to progress in elucidating the principles of genetics. We should bear in mind though that growth is never guaranteed and that failure to deliver expected growth could be severely punished. It is what the people expect and its failure to govern decisively is the source of popular disillusion with Scottish democracy. There was no physical act on the part of D which caused the injury but rather an omission, i.e. his failure to apply the handbrake. All these cases were due to failure to comply with the necessary requirements for entering the country, Varvarigu said. The strictest compliance was expected and failure to comply meant harsh punishment. Gone was the swagger and prevision to be replaced with a few slack passes and failure to read situations. There is no requirement that failure to comply with these provisions has any causative relationship to the making of the statement. Synonyms negligence, remissness, non-observance, non-performance, dereliction omission, neglect, oversight 2.1count noun A lack or deficiency of a desirable quality. a failure of imagination Example sentencesExamples This was a failure of policy, management, capability, and above all, a failure of imagination. In the end, the panel blames institutions, not individuals for failures primarily of imagination. It's an interesting idea, but I suspect that it's suffering from a failure of imagination. To a jaded eye it looked like a mass failure of imagination. And - in what is perhaps a failure of imagination on my part - I can't figure out what else he meant by this. The recent floods in Yorkshire were lamentably derivative and showed a complete failure of creative imagination. Incapacity to do this signals a failure of the imagination and/or basic knowledge of the ground-level details. But I don't expect that kind of failure of the basic responsibilities of the office. It was a failure of imagination of epic proportions on my part. He was the tangible symbol of the Baby Boom, its conceits, its self-absorption, its lack of discipline and failures of responsibility. To put it generously, this was a terrible failure of imagination. When it is understood how common ‘normal accidents’ are, it is recognized why failures in quality and safety occur. To use something once and then toss it onto the rubbish heap is not just an act of profligacy, it is also represents a failure of the collective imagination. What if we are suffering from a failure of imagination? But it cannot be effective without reform of its two main failures - a lack of clear direction and the inefficient management of participatory time. Or do these final chapters represent conjoined failures of imagination and tolerance on the author's part? I didn't realise then that that was merely a failure of imagination. We are more tolerant of failures in quality now, and more receptive, at last, to the thought that the idea is more important than the medium. I was watching a space programme about the reason why one of the missions failed in the 60s and they called it a failure of imagination. A spokesman from Orkney Islands Council said there was no suggestion of any failures in the quality of the service provided by staff to the food industry and consumers. 3The action or state of not functioning. symptoms of heart failure count noun a chance engine failure Example sentencesExamples Many more develop acute respiratory failure and require mechanical ventilation. It is also necessary to exclude reversible causes of failure of brain function, including depressant drugs and hypothermia. Five per cent end up with progressive chronic disease and are likely to develop end stage liver failure requiring transplants. The concern about engine failure can only be understood by pilots who have flown long distances over water in an airplane with one engine. These events will typically be copier parts that have failed, leading to the effect of a copier function failure. Kidney failure occurs when kidney function deteriorates to such an extent that death will occur without renal replacement therapy such as haemodialysis. The damage can lead to poor liver function and liver failure. A key problem in many patients with respiratory failure requiring intubation is fatigue of respiratory muscles. He exposed them to great danger, sending them off in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats that experienced engine failure, or sank. If the General Electric-made engines can be recovered reasonably intact it might be possible to determine if there had been some form of engine failure. This is important for patients with impaired kidney function or liver failure who cannot clear the extra ammonia. The 30 ft vessel, Brilliant, with two people on board, suffered engine failure around 7pm on Sunday. Ian Grant has suffered total renal failure and now requires dialysis three times a week. He told the jury he had battled to keep the Lynx helicopter under control after it had suffered engine failure. Last year his appendix burst and this, doctors believe, is what led to him suffering acute kidney failure, which required more emergency surgery. Cost will be an issue, as the procedure will also plan for hardware failure requiring redundancy of actual computers etc. Her respiratory failure requiring intubation was due to bilateral obstructing broncholiths. In view of the role played by aneuploidy in carcinogenesis and in human reproductive failure, this omission is perhaps surprising. All 4 experienced muscular weakness and respiratory failure that required intubation. Air crash investigators said engine failure may have been one of the factors to blame for the tragedy that unfolded near Hemingbrough. Synonyms breaking down, breakdown, non-function, cutting out, seizing up 3.1count noun A sudden cessation of power. a sudden power failure Example sentencesExamples Britain could face huge power failures this winter unless consumers pay more for electricity, a top Government energy adviser warned yesterday. The storms hit Enniscorthy and New Ross in Wexford first yesterday at about 7am, causing power failures there until about 10.30 am. The most common type of case involved tenants asking for rent reductions due to overdue repairs, but complaints ranged from gaping holes in the walls and power failures to mushrooms and rats. Strikes, accidents, weather, power failures - does it really matter why the trains aren't running? She is leading a team of researchers who are trying to prevent future power failures by making energy-sucking office buildings ultra-efficient at peak hours. Four power failures were reported on January 2, 10, 11 and 13, following at least 16 separate incidences last year. It was doubtful whether the serious traveller bothered himself too much about such things as power failures, which were part of life and can happen anywhere. Frequent electrical power failures and cuts were causing much concern and expense to industry, the meeting heard. The power failures are due to the damage of our line at our Yatton Keynell sub station. During any sudden power failure, the system automatically switches to regular electricity. ‘Power failures are averaging out to two to three hours a day at a stretch,’ explains his friend, a Faisal Town resident. The move follows two power failures in 1999 when patients on life support machines had to be ventilated manually because of the failure of an emergency generator. Our reliance on such machinery was previously highlighted two years ago, when the hospital's theatres and intensive care unit were hit by power failures. Power failures have been a recurring problem in Braintree and its surrounding villages, particularly in Great Notley, Black Notley and Rayne. However, this meant there was temporary overloading on other supply sources, causing power failures in various parts of the town. The emergency powerhouse has been fired up to check the entire system, as a power failure in mid winter would be absolutely no fun at all. I suggest it's time to investigate various aircraft accidents, power failures, and claims of abductions with the realization that UFOs are real. We already have a 24-hour service to repair any power failures in the 11-kv line. Scattered power failures affecting an estimated 137,000 utility customers were reported across the coast as the wind and rain increased. If you want to know all about great power failures, this website will tell you absolutely everything about them. Synonyms breaking down, breakdown, non-function, cutting out, seizing up 3.2count noun The collapse of a business. business failures rose by 53% Example sentencesExamples And more business headlines reveal company failures, wobbly financial markets and the impact of all this on workers' pension plans. Some of his business failures were as spectacular as his lavish lifestyle, which was legendary. In four years small business failures have trebled. The Americans believe that in business, failures are inevitable. This has led to a worldwide assault on auto workers' jobs, as well as business failures, including the bankruptcy announcement earlier this month by Daewoo Motors of South Korea. However, we also recognise that these extra resources will not go far enough to solve the problems and prevent more business failures and bed blocking. Transfer tax consequences, forced liquidation and business failures are among the dismal results of poor succession planning. Are we going to see more closures or failures in the ISP business? Mass employment and low interest rates, shortages, quotas and regulations were the staples of the British economy in the late 1940s and business failures were few. He added that, with 17 outdoor shops in the town and a number of recent failures of similar businesses, the new shop may not be viable and could also fall into disrepair. Many personal bankruptcies are related to small business failures because business loans are often secured over personal assets. Business failures in the North-west increased by 10.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year. There'll indeed be plenty of business failures, including some weird ones that nobody saw coming. While you may trust your own children, should they get divorced or be subject to a business failure, your home could be deemed part of their assets and given to another. This coincides with rising or record levels of poverty, homelessness, job insecurity, personal bankruptcies and small business failures. The incidence of business failures provides a vivid reminder of how fundamentally corporate activity affects the lives and livelihoods of people and communities worldwide. There will always be business failures, some of them inevitable disappointments and some shocking in their unpredictably, but corporate Scotland as a whole should not get unduly depressed. When the Great Depression came in 1929 and business failures became the order of the day Holt, like everyone else, was placed under tremendous pressure. It was one of the most high profile Scottish business failures of recent years and left millions owing to creditors. Business failures in the area have bucked the national trend by falling. Synonyms collapse, crash, going under, bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, close-down, closure, closing, shutting down, winding up, termination decline, failing, foundering, sinking, ruin, ruination informal folding, flop Origin Mid 17th century (originally as failer, in the senses 'non-occurrence' and 'cessation of supply'): from Anglo-Norman French failer for Old French faillir (see fail). Definition of failure in US English: failure nounˈfālyərˈfeɪljər 1Lack of success. an economic policy that is doomed to failure the failures of his policies Example sentencesExamples Hence, the high rate of hatching failure in bee-eaters requires explanation. As you can see from the photos, the rivets form an integral part of the chassis, so rivet failure will require frame replacement. He said the principal officials will be accountable to the chief executive for the success or failure of their policy initiatives. He is thus responsible for the success or failure of his policies. Techniques of open mastoid or modified radical mastoidectomy that are required to avoid failure are discussed and illustrated. New national policies are doomed to failure if they are not part of an overall solution. It may be argued that the degree of disturbance of these areas is a barometer of the success or failure of the policies adopted here for the past five decades. Plus, dealing with failure would require more than running to a shop with the receipt for a warranty exchange. For this reason health should be the pre-eminent measure of the success or failure of development policies in the next century. Key factors influencing the success or failure of the government's policy are likely to be psychological in nature. He is paid a fixed salary and will not be affected financially by the success or failure of the policy on competing interests. Depending on which side you stand, success is failure, victory is disaster. Success or failure of disaster response is determined greatly by access to communication and reliable information. All the success and all the failure, all the experiences I have been blessed with-I took them with me when I went to the block. Both the success and the failure of this movie are to be found in the author's treatment of the narrative. However, the sheer irrationality of continuing to expand a policy doomed to failure begs an explanation. Corruption takes root when donors expect failure and recipients know that dismal performance will bring no adverse consequences. This implies that you read omission to mean failure where you ought to have done something. The medical device industry cannot deliver anything close to perfection unless it expects failure. There has been an inadequate emphasis in some cases on real discovery, which requires a tolerance of failure. Synonyms lack of success, non-success, non-fulfilment, abortion, miscarriage, defeat, frustration, collapse, foundering, misfiring, coming to nothing, falling through fiasco, debacle, catastrophe, disaster, blunder, vain attempt, abortion, defeat 1.1 An unsuccessful person, enterprise, or thing. bad weather had resulted in crop failures Example sentencesExamples Cassie is considered somewhat a failure since she was unsuccessful in joining the school's social elite. A severe drought has left much of the country parched and barren, with some crops declared a complete failure. We fully expected each failure, because we knew quite well when we had broken the rules. The thread that connects these failures is the lack of true trilateral cooperation. By the end of October the national wheat crop was a total failure. Remember, there are no failures in the business of plan implementation, only feedback. But the very lack of documented failures in the co-management literature is in itself suspicious. But maybe that phone number screw-up is just so abysmal that it's got to be graded a failure. Despite the fact that GM crops are a failure, they are urging the government to remove the ban or be left behind. I was trying to say that I feel a failure for not providing enough for us three to live on this month. There are 22,000 schools in Britain, many, by this Government's own reckoning, failures in the business of education. Synonyms loser, born loser, incompetent, non-achiever, underachiever, ne'er-do-well, disappointment, write-off inadequacy, insufficiency, deficiency, lack, dearth, scarcity, shortfall 2The omission of expected or required action. their failure to comply with the basic rules Example sentencesExamples It is what the people expect and its failure to govern decisively is the source of popular disillusion with Scottish democracy. There was no physical act on the part of D which caused the injury but rather an omission, i.e. his failure to apply the handbrake. There is no requirement that failure to comply with these provisions has any causative relationship to the making of the statement. In all those cases the omission relied on is failure on the part of the defendant to exercise its statutory powers. All these cases were due to failure to comply with the necessary requirements for entering the country, Varvarigu said. We should bear in mind though that growth is never guaranteed and that failure to deliver expected growth could be severely punished. The strictest compliance was expected and failure to comply meant harsh punishment. Gone was the swagger and prevision to be replaced with a few slack passes and failure to read situations. Colleges could face stiff sanctions for failure to comply with requirements, the bill states. Darwin's foremost omission was his failure to progress in elucidating the principles of genetics. Synonyms negligence, remissness, non-observance, non-performance, dereliction 2.1 A lack or deficiency of a desirable quality. a failure of imagination Example sentencesExamples It was a failure of imagination of epic proportions on my part. But I don't expect that kind of failure of the basic responsibilities of the office. To put it generously, this was a terrible failure of imagination. To a jaded eye it looked like a mass failure of imagination. Or do these final chapters represent conjoined failures of imagination and tolerance on the author's part? This was a failure of policy, management, capability, and above all, a failure of imagination. When it is understood how common ‘normal accidents’ are, it is recognized why failures in quality and safety occur. But it cannot be effective without reform of its two main failures - a lack of clear direction and the inefficient management of participatory time. In the end, the panel blames institutions, not individuals for failures primarily of imagination. He was the tangible symbol of the Baby Boom, its conceits, its self-absorption, its lack of discipline and failures of responsibility. The recent floods in Yorkshire were lamentably derivative and showed a complete failure of creative imagination. To use something once and then toss it onto the rubbish heap is not just an act of profligacy, it is also represents a failure of the collective imagination. It's an interesting idea, but I suspect that it's suffering from a failure of imagination. I didn't realise then that that was merely a failure of imagination. A spokesman from Orkney Islands Council said there was no suggestion of any failures in the quality of the service provided by staff to the food industry and consumers. I was watching a space programme about the reason why one of the missions failed in the 60s and they called it a failure of imagination. What if we are suffering from a failure of imagination? And - in what is perhaps a failure of imagination on my part - I can't figure out what else he meant by this. Incapacity to do this signals a failure of the imagination and/or basic knowledge of the ground-level details. We are more tolerant of failures in quality now, and more receptive, at last, to the thought that the idea is more important than the medium. 3The action or state of not functioning. symptoms of heart failure an engine failure Example sentencesExamples A key problem in many patients with respiratory failure requiring intubation is fatigue of respiratory muscles. It is also necessary to exclude reversible causes of failure of brain function, including depressant drugs and hypothermia. The concern about engine failure can only be understood by pilots who have flown long distances over water in an airplane with one engine. Last year his appendix burst and this, doctors believe, is what led to him suffering acute kidney failure, which required more emergency surgery. This is important for patients with impaired kidney function or liver failure who cannot clear the extra ammonia. These events will typically be copier parts that have failed, leading to the effect of a copier function failure. Ian Grant has suffered total renal failure and now requires dialysis three times a week. In view of the role played by aneuploidy in carcinogenesis and in human reproductive failure, this omission is perhaps surprising. He told the jury he had battled to keep the Lynx helicopter under control after it had suffered engine failure. Her respiratory failure requiring intubation was due to bilateral obstructing broncholiths. The 30 ft vessel, Brilliant, with two people on board, suffered engine failure around 7pm on Sunday. Kidney failure occurs when kidney function deteriorates to such an extent that death will occur without renal replacement therapy such as haemodialysis. Five per cent end up with progressive chronic disease and are likely to develop end stage liver failure requiring transplants. Air crash investigators said engine failure may have been one of the factors to blame for the tragedy that unfolded near Hemingbrough. Many more develop acute respiratory failure and require mechanical ventilation. Cost will be an issue, as the procedure will also plan for hardware failure requiring redundancy of actual computers etc. The damage can lead to poor liver function and liver failure. He exposed them to great danger, sending them off in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats that experienced engine failure, or sank. All 4 experienced muscular weakness and respiratory failure that required intubation. If the General Electric-made engines can be recovered reasonably intact it might be possible to determine if there had been some form of engine failure. Synonyms breaking down, breakdown, non-function, cutting out, seizing up 3.1 A sudden cessation of power. Example sentencesExamples The storms hit Enniscorthy and New Ross in Wexford first yesterday at about 7am, causing power failures there until about 10.30 am. Power failures have been a recurring problem in Braintree and its surrounding villages, particularly in Great Notley, Black Notley and Rayne. During any sudden power failure, the system automatically switches to regular electricity. Four power failures were reported on January 2, 10, 11 and 13, following at least 16 separate incidences last year. She is leading a team of researchers who are trying to prevent future power failures by making energy-sucking office buildings ultra-efficient at peak hours. We already have a 24-hour service to repair any power failures in the 11-kv line. However, this meant there was temporary overloading on other supply sources, causing power failures in various parts of the town. Strikes, accidents, weather, power failures - does it really matter why the trains aren't running? The most common type of case involved tenants asking for rent reductions due to overdue repairs, but complaints ranged from gaping holes in the walls and power failures to mushrooms and rats. Frequent electrical power failures and cuts were causing much concern and expense to industry, the meeting heard. Britain could face huge power failures this winter unless consumers pay more for electricity, a top Government energy adviser warned yesterday. Our reliance on such machinery was previously highlighted two years ago, when the hospital's theatres and intensive care unit were hit by power failures. The emergency powerhouse has been fired up to check the entire system, as a power failure in mid winter would be absolutely no fun at all. ‘Power failures are averaging out to two to three hours a day at a stretch,’ explains his friend, a Faisal Town resident. If you want to know all about great power failures, this website will tell you absolutely everything about them. The power failures are due to the damage of our line at our Yatton Keynell sub station. I suggest it's time to investigate various aircraft accidents, power failures, and claims of abductions with the realization that UFOs are real. The move follows two power failures in 1999 when patients on life support machines had to be ventilated manually because of the failure of an emergency generator. It was doubtful whether the serious traveller bothered himself too much about such things as power failures, which were part of life and can happen anywhere. Scattered power failures affecting an estimated 137,000 utility customers were reported across the coast as the wind and rain increased. Synonyms breaking down, breakdown, non-function, cutting out, seizing up 3.2 The collapse of a business. Example sentencesExamples Many personal bankruptcies are related to small business failures because business loans are often secured over personal assets. When the Great Depression came in 1929 and business failures became the order of the day Holt, like everyone else, was placed under tremendous pressure. While you may trust your own children, should they get divorced or be subject to a business failure, your home could be deemed part of their assets and given to another. In four years small business failures have trebled. However, we also recognise that these extra resources will not go far enough to solve the problems and prevent more business failures and bed blocking. And more business headlines reveal company failures, wobbly financial markets and the impact of all this on workers' pension plans. Mass employment and low interest rates, shortages, quotas and regulations were the staples of the British economy in the late 1940s and business failures were few. Are we going to see more closures or failures in the ISP business? He added that, with 17 outdoor shops in the town and a number of recent failures of similar businesses, the new shop may not be viable and could also fall into disrepair. Transfer tax consequences, forced liquidation and business failures are among the dismal results of poor succession planning. The incidence of business failures provides a vivid reminder of how fundamentally corporate activity affects the lives and livelihoods of people and communities worldwide. There will always be business failures, some of them inevitable disappointments and some shocking in their unpredictably, but corporate Scotland as a whole should not get unduly depressed. There'll indeed be plenty of business failures, including some weird ones that nobody saw coming. The Americans believe that in business, failures are inevitable. Some of his business failures were as spectacular as his lavish lifestyle, which was legendary. This has led to a worldwide assault on auto workers' jobs, as well as business failures, including the bankruptcy announcement earlier this month by Daewoo Motors of South Korea. It was one of the most high profile Scottish business failures of recent years and left millions owing to creditors. This coincides with rising or record levels of poverty, homelessness, job insecurity, personal bankruptcies and small business failures. Business failures in the North-west increased by 10.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year. Business failures in the area have bucked the national trend by falling. Synonyms collapse, crash, going under, bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, close-down, closure, closing, shutting down, winding up, termination Origin Mid 17th century (originally as failer, in the senses ‘non-occurrence’ and ‘cessation of supply’): from Anglo-Norman French failer for Old French faillir (see fail).
随便看	come up hit a brick wall come up in the world come upon come upon come up (or be given) with the rations come up (or be given) with the rations come up (or go down) in the world come up (or go down) in the world come up (or out) smelling of roses come up (or out) smelling of roses comeuppance comeuppances come up roses come up roses come up smelling of roses come up smiling come up smiling come up to come up to scratch come up to scratch in come up to snuff in come up to standard come up trumps come up with come up with