malfunctions

verb

present tense third-person singular of malfunction
as in fails
to fail to function or work properly A software problem is causing the system to malfunction.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malfunctions
  1. fails
  2. crashes
Verb
  • The bill fails to address the true drivers of rising premiums.
    — Daily Southtown, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • West Brom’s fortunes may ebb and flow but the highest ground in the EFL, at 542 feet above sea level, rarely fails to deliver.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of fails
Verb
  • As the story goes, the trickster god Loki crashes a feast of 12 gods in Valhalla, with his hijinks leading to the death of the radiant god Balder.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The software visionary who never checked the system limits ends up with a beautiful product that crashes under pressure.
    — Rohan Pinto, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of crashes
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

malfunctioning
malfunctions
malice
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Malfunctions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malfunctions. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on malfunctions

Nglish: Translation of malfunctions for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All