as in to fail
to fail to function or work properly
A software problem is causing the system to malfunction.
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Recent Examples of malfunction
And in Baltimore, a malfunctioning Amtrak train left riders temporarily stranded without air conditioning in the depths of its tunnel system.
—
Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 23 June 2025
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Truth Social malfunctioned on Saturday night amid President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States had bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities.
—Andrew Couts, Wired News, 22 June 2025
Then several incidents of trains malfunctioning further set back ridership.
—Janhavi Munde, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2025
The sound throughout the broadcast was all over the place with Keanu Reeves and Charli D’Amelio presenting in front malfunctioning microphones.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for malfunction
Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 23 June 2025
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Truth Social malfunctioned on Saturday night amid President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States had bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities.
—Andrew Couts, Wired News, 22 June 2025
Then several incidents of trains malfunctioning further set back ridership.
—Janhavi Munde, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2025
The sound throughout the broadcast was all over the place with Keanu Reeves and Charli D’Amelio presenting in front malfunctioning microphones.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for malfunction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malfunction
Verb
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Renard was not the only one who failed to make the cut.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
5 July 2025
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In the corporate world, companies that fail to keep up with advances in hardware, software or technology platforms could face a different type of crisis: being at a competitive disadvantage in a challenging and demanding marketplace.—
Edward Segal,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Verb
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Earlier that day, another drone crashed near the airport in Kirkuk, which was previously hit four days earlier with rockets in another unclaimed attack.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Some are used for surveillance and some to ferry supplies, but most of them, laden with explosives and directed by an operator through a video screen, are crashed directly into their targets.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malfunction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malfunction. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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