failure
gb/fˈeɪljɚ/ us/fˈeɪljɚ/
B1
Anglais
~ 1200
Sens
0 sens
Nom
B1
state
1
Lack of success
When something does not work or does not give the result you want.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone's/something's] failure to [do something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'failure' (the state) with 'fail' (the verb). For example, 'He is a fail' is incorrect; it should be 'He is a failure' or 'He failed.'
Synonymes
defeat (Often used for competitive situations, especially in sports or contests.)
|
unsuccessfulness (Formal term with similar meaning but less common in everyday speech.)
Antonymes
success (The opposite state of achieving a desired goal or result.)
Collocations
complete failure
|total failure
|failure rate
|failure to act
|failure in business
Thèmes
daily life
|business
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
|work
|education
Exemples
- The project was a complete failure despite months of hard work.
- His failure to meet the deadline caused delays for the whole team.
- She learned a lot from her first business failure.
- The mission ended in failure due to bad weather.
- Failure is a normal part of the learning process.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The test was a failure.
- His plan was a failure.
- We learned from our failure.
- The trip was a failure because it rained.
Nom
B1
event
2
Breakdown or malfunction
When a machine or system stops working.
Schéma d’usage :
[machine/system] failure
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse 'failure' with 'fault'. A 'fault' is the cause; a 'failure' is the event when something stops working.
Synonymes
breakdown (Common in both technical and informal settings for machines or systems stopping.)
|
malfunction (More formal/technical term for equipment not working correctly.)
Antonymes
operation (Refers to something functioning as intended.)
Collocations
engine failure
|power failure
|mechanical failure
|system failure
Thèmes
technology
|science
|work
|daily_life
Exemples
- The plane had to land because of engine failure.
- A sudden power failure left the whole city in darkness.
- The crash was caused by a brake failure.
- They are investigating the system failure that caused the outage.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The car stopped because of engine failure.
- We had a power failure last night.
- The computer had a system failure.
Nom
B2
entity
3
Unsuccessful person
A person who is not successful in life or in something they try to do.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] is a failure at [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes overuse this meaning in sensitive contexts; it can sound very strong and negative about a person.
Synonymes
loser (Informal and often insulting; more emotional than 'failure'.)
Antonymes
achiever (A person who succeeds, especially through effort.)
Collocations
feel like a failure
|be called a failure
Thèmes
emotions
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
|work
Exemples
- After losing his job, he felt like a total failure.
- She was unfairly labeled a failure by her parents.
- He is not a failure; he just needs more time to succeed.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I feel like a failure today.
- He is not a failure.
- She thinks she is a failure at sports.
Nom
technical
B2
state
4
Organ malfunction
When an organ or body part stops working normally.
Synonymes
organ shutdown (Technical description for complete stoppage of an organ's function.)
Antonymes
normal function (Indicates the organ is working as expected.)
Collocations
heart failure
|kidney failure
|respiratory failure
Thèmes
medicine
|health
|body
Exemples
- He was diagnosed with heart failure last year.
- Kidney failure can be life-threatening without treatment.
- The patient died from respiratory failure.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She has heart failure.
- Kidney failure is dangerous.
- He died from lung failure.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
failure
API
GB/fˈeɪljɚ/
US/fˈeɪljɚ/
Syllabes et accentuation
fail - ure (2 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (fail)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: failure
- Plural: failure, failures
Famille de mots
Expressions
if at first you don't succeed, try, try again
1/ˈɪf ˈæt fˈɚst jˈu dˈoʊnt səksˈid | tɹˈaɪ | tɹˈaɪ əɡˈɛn/
fixed phrase
Encourage persistence after failing once or more times
Keep trying until you succeed, even if you fail at first.
Exemples
- Don't give up—if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
- She remembered the saying: if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
set up for failure
1/sˈɛt ˈʌp fɚ fˈeɪljɚ/
idiom
Put someone in position to fail from start
To make it likely that someone will fail by giving them problems from the start.
Exemples
- Giving him no training set him up for failure.
- They set themselves up for failure by ignoring the warnings.
epic fail
1/ˈɛpɪk fˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
informal
Very big and obvious failure
A very big and embarrassing mistake or failure.
Exemples
- Spilling coffee on my boss was an epic fail.
- The presentation was an epic fail from start to finish.
epic fail
2/ˈɛpɪk fˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
slang
very big and obvious failure
A complete and very obvious failure, often in a way that looks silly or embarrassing.
Exemples
- My attempt to bake a cake was an epic fail when it collapsed in the oven.
- The app launch was an epic fail, crashing for almost every user on the first day.
- He called the speech an epic fail after forgetting half of his notes.
epic fail
3/ˈɛpɪk fˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
informal
Very big embarrassing mistake or defeat
A very big and embarrassing mistake or lack of success.
Exemples
- Forgetting my lines on stage was an epic fail.
- That presentation was an epic fail.
trial and error
1/tɹˈaɪl ˈænd ˈɛɹɚ/
fixed phrase
Learning by trying and failing
A way to solve problems by trying different things and learning from mistakes until you find what works.
Exemples
- Learning to cook often involves trial and error.
- We learned to fix the engine through trial and error.
- We found the best design through trial and error.
- Cooking well often comes from trial and error.
trial and error
2/tɹˈaɪl ˈænd ˈɛɹɚ/
fixed phrase
Problem-solving by repeated attempts
Trying many times and learning from mistakes until you find the right way.
Exemples
- We learned how to fix the machine through trial and error.
- Cooking without a recipe is often trial and error.
without fail
1/wɪðˈaʊt fˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
Always happens without exception
Always happens, every time, without exceptions.
Exemples
- He calls his mother every Sunday without fail.
- The train arrives at 8:30 without fail.
without fail
2/wɪðˈaʊt fˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
Happens every single time
Always happens; no exceptions.
Exemples
- She calls me every Sunday without fail.
- The bus arrives at 8:00 without fail.
without fail
3/wɪðˈaʊt fˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
always; every single time
Always happens or is done, no matter what.
Exemples
- She calls me every Sunday without fail.
- The bus arrives at 8 a.m. without fail.