malfunction
verb
mal·func·tion
| \ ˌmal-ˈfəŋ(k)-shən
\
\
malfunctioned;
malfunctioning;
malfunctions
Definition of malfunction
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to function imperfectly or badly : fail to operate normally
malfunction
noun
plural malfunctions
Definition of malfunction (Entry 2 of 2)
: a failure to operate or function in the normal or correct manner : the action or an instance of malfunctioning
a hardware/equipment malfunction Once thought to be a disease itself dropsy is now known to be a sign of several kinds of body malfunction, especially congestive heart failure and kidney disease.— C. Clairborne Ray In schizophrenia this filtering system malfunctions or short-circuits. This malfunction causes people to misevaluate what they see, hear, and experience in their environment.— Richard Crino
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Examples of malfunction in a Sentence
Verb
A software problem is causing the system to malfunction.Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Workers mobilized after two colleagues were killed by a malfunctioning garbage truck. — Adrian Sainz, Washington Post, "Baxter Leach, key member of Memphis’ striking sanitation workers, dies at 79," 29 Aug. 2019 When the owner and another person arrived, the shooter opened fire on the two people, but the gun malfunctioned, Hayes said. — Los Angeles Times, "Two Temecula residents face murder charges in fatal shooting of LAPD Officer Juan Diaz," 6 Aug. 2019 Donyea pointed his gun and tried to shoot Conn Rassavong, but his gun malfunctioned and did not fire. — Robin Goist, cleveland.com, "Akron brothers sentenced to life in prison without parole for random killings," 29 July 2019 Sarah Henderson had also tried to shoot her husband but the gun malfunctioned, authorities said. — Tom Steele, Dallas News, "Texas woman makes deal to avoid death penalty for fatally shooting 2 young daughters," 17 July 2019 After the Lion Air crash, Boeing sent pilots and airlines a checklist of steps to take if MCAS malfunctioned, including disabling the software and hand-cranking a wheel to manually rotate part of the plane’s tail and point the nose up. — David Koenig, BostonGlobe.com, "Pilots criticize Boeing for mistakes on its grounded jet," 19 June 2019 And of course, there have been complaints about radio shenanigans—use of multiple frequencies to bypass the cutoff, home teams fiddling with the opponent’s signal, deliberately malfunctioning headsets. — SI.com, "A History of Football in 100 Objects," 28 Aug. 2019 Workers mobilized after two colleagues were killed by a malfunctioning garbage truck. — Washington Post, "Key member of Memphis’ striking sanitation workers dies," 27 Aug. 2019 For years, users have complained about sticking and malfunctioning keys. — Don Reisinger, Fortune, "Apple Has New MacBooks Planned for the Fall. Here Are 5 Things They Should Have," 24 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'malfunction.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for malfunction
malfunction
verb
English Language Learners Definition of malfunction
: to fail to function or work properly
See the full definition for malfunction in the English Language Learners Dictionary
malfunction
intransitive verb
mal·func·tion
| \ (ˈ)mal-ˈfəŋ(k)-shən
\
\
Medical Definition of malfunction
: to function imperfectly or badly : fail to operate in the normal or usual manner
malfunctioning kidneys
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