failure: Meaning and Definition of

fail•ure

Pronunciation: (fāl'yur), [key]
— n.
  1. an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success: His effort ended in failure. The campaign was a failure.
  2. nonperformance of something due, required, or expected: a failure to do what one has promised; a failure to appear.
  3. a subnormal quantity or quality; an insufficiency: the failure of crops.
  4. deterioration or decay, esp. of vigor, strength, etc.: The failure of her health made retirement necessary.
  5. a condition of being bankrupt by reason of insolvency.
  6. a becoming insolvent or bankrupt: the failure of a bank.
  7. a person or thing that proves unsuccessful: He is a failure in his career. The cake is a failure.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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