fail·ure 
/ˈfeɪljɚ/ noun
plural fail·ures /ˈfeɪljɚ/ noun 1 : the act or result of failing: such as a : a lack of success in some effort [count] ▪ He became discouraged by his repeated failures in business. [noncount] ▪ He was often crippled by his fear of failure. ▪ He was trying to rescue the business from failure. [=bankruptcy] — opposite success
b : a situation or occurrence in which something does not work as it should [count] ▪ The storm caused power failures [=outages] in many parts of the city. ▪ a failure [=lapse] of memory [noncount] ▪ The accident was caused by engine failure. ▪ The patient was suffering from heart/kidney failure.
c : an occurrence in which someone does not do something that should be done — followed by to + verb [count] ▪ The accident was caused by a failure to use proper procedures. [noncount] ▪ She was criticized for failure to follow directions.
d : an occurrence in which crops do not grow and produce food in the normal way [noncount] ▪ The drought caused crop failure. [count] ▪ a serious crop failure 2 [count] : a person or thing that has failed
▪ He felt like a failure when he wasn't accepted into law school. ▪ The scheme was a complete failure. — opposite success
b : a situation or occurrence in which something does not work as it should [count] ▪ The storm caused power failures [=outages] in many parts of the city. ▪ a failure [=lapse] of memory [noncount] ▪ The accident was caused by engine failure. ▪ The patient was suffering from heart/kidney failure.
c : an occurrence in which someone does not do something that should be done — followed by to + verb [count] ▪ The accident was caused by a failure to use proper procedures. [noncount] ▪ She was criticized for failure to follow directions.
d : an occurrence in which crops do not grow and produce food in the normal way [noncount] ▪ The drought caused crop failure. [count] ▪ a serious crop failure
▪ He felt like a failure when he wasn't accepted into law school. ▪ The scheme was a complete failure. — opposite success
