Other forms: failures
Failure is not reaching the goal despite trying. A failure, the failure of the plan, failure is not an option.
It is uncountable for the general idea and countable for a particular one: three failures in a row. The word also means a stopping of function — engine failure, power failure, heart failure — and there it is neutral and technical rather than a judgement. Note failure to do something, which is the formal construction in official writing: failure to comply, failure to attend. And calling a person a failure is one of the harsher things English allows.
1nounfailureA lack of success.
“The failure was predicted by everybody who looked at it.”
2nounstoppingThe stopping of something that should work.
“A power failure closed the whole line.”
3noundoneNot doing something you should have done.
“Failure to reply within thirty days ends the claim.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
failure is a lack of success.
Anglo-Norman failer comes from Latin fallere, to deceive or disappoint — the same verb behind false and fault. A failure was originally a falling short of what was promised, which is why the word still carries a hint of a broken expectation.
Old French
faillir — to fail
Anglo-Norman
failer
English, today
failure
From Anglo-Norman failer, from Old French faillir (“to fail”). Equivalent to fail + -ure.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA