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
Interference has caused aircraft to appear having traveled in erratic, wave-like patterns; on land, malfunctioning GPS systems have also caused food delivery riders to appear off the coast of Dubai.
—
Matthew Chin, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
Other video from key hours around Epstein’s death, which would have shown the tier with his cell, was not available because the jail’s video recording system malfunctioned.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
To do so, Reddick had to overcome a malfunctioning battery and a large deficit in the final 50 laps.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
The decent from 33,000 feet would have been trickier, especially with malfunctioning instruments.
—Jeff Suess, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for malfunction
Matthew Chin, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
Other video from key hours around Epstein’s death, which would have shown the tier with his cell, was not available because the jail’s video recording system malfunctioned.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
To do so, Reddick had to overcome a malfunctioning battery and a large deficit in the final 50 laps.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
The decent from 33,000 feet would have been trickier, especially with malfunctioning instruments.
—Jeff Suess, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for malfunction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malfunction
Verb
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In the video, Woods can be seen wearing a blue polo shirt and leaning against the patrol car while failing the sobriety tests.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
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In other words, when a job requires multiple steps, creativity, or precision, AI replacements are more likely to fail than succeed.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Witnesses saw the aircraft flying low, then take a steep right turn before crashing into the building about six miles south of the airport in Lantana, according to the report.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
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Its intelligence is unclear — did the spaceship that crashes in Antarctica at the beginning of the film belong to the Thing, or its unfortunate host?—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Malfunction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malfunction. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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