failure

(fāl'yər)
n.

1. The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends: the failure of an experiment.
2. One that fails: a failure at one's career.
3. The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short: a crop failure.
4. A cessation of proper functioning or performance: a power failure.
5. Nonperformance of what is requested or expected; omission: failure to report a change of address.
6. The act or fact of failing to pass a course, test, or assignment.
7. A decline in strength or effectiveness.
8. The act or fact of becoming bankrupt or insolvent.

[Alteration of failer, default, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French faillir, to fail. See fail.]

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noun

1. The condition of not achieving the desired end: unsuccess, unsuccessfulness. See thrive/fail/exist.
2. One that fails completely: bust, fiasco, loser, washout. Informal dud, flop, lemon. Slang bomb. See thrive/fail/exist.
3. A cessation of proper mechanical functions: breakdown, outage. See thrive/fail/exist.
4. Nonperformance of what ought to be done: default, delinquency, dereliction, neglect, omission. Law nonfeasance. See do/not do.
5. A marked loss of strength or effectiveness: declination, decline, deterioration. See increase/decrease.
6. The condition of being financially insolvent: bankruptcy, bust, insolvency. See money.

n

Definition: lack of success
Antonyms: accomplishment, achievement, attainment, earnings, gain, merit, success, win

n

Definition: person who does not succeed
Antonyms: achiever, success

In structural engineering, that condition of a structural element (or its material components) which renders it incapable of continuing the load-carrying function for which it was designed; may be caused by fracture or by excessive and permanent plastic deformation.

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In mechanics, the inability to perform a function.

IN BRIEF: A lack of success.

There is no failure except in no longer trying. — Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915).

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Quotes:

"Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street." - Zig Ziglar

"The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success." - Paramahansa Yogananda

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden

"If all this happened to you what paradigm might you develop? How might that paradigm affect you in terms of your life from that point on? What does this tell you about Abe? There are no failures, only lessons to be learned." - Oprah Winfrey

"Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness." - Oprah Winfrey

"You can give in to the failure messages and be a bitter deadbeat of excuses. Or you can choose to be happy and positive and excited about life." - A.L. Williams

See more famous quotes about Failure

Dreaming about failing, in school or in some task, may simply be an expression of anxiety (i.e., it is not a sign predicting that someone will fail). People who regularly dream of failing are often perfectionists.

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Inability to perform or to function properly.

• f. to conceive — said of cows which return to estrus after mating.
• kidney f. — see renal failure.
• f. of passive transfer — see maternal immunity.
• respiratory f. — called also ventilatory failure; see respiratory failure.
• f. to thrive — used generally to describe young animals which are not gaining weight or growing; can be due to disease or management problems. In llamas, used to describe a specific syndrome in which the young are normal in early age, but later stop growing. Rickets is one possible cause, but there may be others.

n

A deficiency; an inefficiency as measured by some legal standard; an unsuccessful attempt.

For a list of words related to failure, see:

• Diagnostic Terminology - failure: total cessation of bodily function
• Morality or Character

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See words rhyming with "failure."

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - fiasko, sammenbrud, forsømmelse, fallit, uheldigt udfald

Nederlands (Dutch)
mislukking, storing, nalatigheid, het uitblijven, onvermogen om normaal te functioneren, faillissement, tekort, mislukkeling, verval

Français (French)
n. - échec, (Fin) faillite, raté, panne, (Méd) défaillance, manquement à une promesse, (Jur) défaut de comparution (en justice), non-respect de la réglementation, (Agric) perte (de récolte)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Bankrott, Mißerfolg, Ausfall, Verschlechterung, Scheitern, Versager

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αποτυχία (κν. φιάσκο), αποτυχημένος, αμέλεια, παράλειψη, διακοπή, βλάβη, έλλειψη, ανεπάρκεια, (οικον.) χρεοκοπία (κν. φαλιμέντο), αδυναμία εκτέλεσης ή εκπλήρωσης

Italiano (Italian)
fallimento, insuccesso, guasto, fallito

idioms:

• failure of    fallimento di, guasto di

Português (Portuguese)
n. - falha (f)

idioms:

• failure of    falha de

Русский (Russian)
провал, банкротство, невыполнение, повреждение

idioms:

• failure of    провал

Español (Spanish)
n. - quiebra, fracaso, fallo, avería, fracasado

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - misslyckande

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
失败, 不足, 失败者

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 失敗, 不足, 失敗者

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 실패 , 태만, 불이행, 부족, 낙제, 지불 능력 상실

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 失敗, 落第, 失敗者, 失敗作, 不足, 怠慢, 不履行, …しないこと, 破産, 衰弱, 故障

idioms:

• failure of    失敗

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) إخفاق , فشل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮כישלון, חוסר, אי-ביצוע, אי-יכולת, פשיטת רגל‬

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