the fact of someone or something not succeeding

The meeting was a complete/total failure. 这次会议是彻头彻尾的失败。

I'm a bit of a failure at making (= I cannot make) cakes. 我做蛋糕做得比较失败。

I feel such a failure (= so unsuccessful). 我觉得自己太失败了。

Their attempt to climb Everest ended in failure. 他们攀登珠穆朗玛峰的尝试以失败告终。

The whole project was doomed to failure right from the start (= it could never have succeeded). 整个项目从一开始就注定了要失败。

the fact of not doing something that you must do or are expected to do

His failure to return her phone call made her realize that something was wrong. 他没给她回电话，这使她觉得有什么事情不对头。

Failure to keep the chemical at the right temperature could lead to an explosion. 化学品保存在不合适的温度下有可能会发生爆炸。

the fact of something not working, or stopping working as well as it should

He died of heart/liver failure. 他死于心脏／肝功能衰竭。

The accident was caused by the failure of the reactor's cooling system. 事故是由反应堆冷却系统发生故障造成的。

The number of business failures rose steeply last year. 去年倒闭的公司数量激增。

After three crop failures in a row, the people face starvation. 连续3年庄稼歉收，老百姓面临饥荒。