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Glite Dictionary
equipment failure

equipment failure

3 3.4
A machine or device that stops working when you need it
  • noun
  • /ɪˈkwɪpmənt ˈfeɪljər/
translation icon : fallo de equipo
  • Another possible error comes from equipment failure.
  • error and equipment failure

Examples

  • The main causes of releases in this study were found to be operator error and equipment failure.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Equipment failure and human error contributed to a majority of Priority I chemical events.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Emergency procedures in the event of equipment failure.

    Academic text (1998)

  • In fact, equipment failure has become such a problem that the Safe Medical Devices Act was developed in 1990.

    Academic text (2003)

  • No measured value is available because of equipment failure or another reason.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Chief among the many reasons given for the breakdown in government services was equipment failure.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Industries should conduct routine maintenance of equipment to prevent or minimize equipment failure.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Noncontacting motion sensors have been designed to provide early warning of impending equipment failure.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The most common cause of these events was operator error, followed in frequency by equipment failure, improper mixing, and deliberate releases.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The factory halted production for several hours due to an equipment failure on the assembly line.

Synonyms

failure
vsequipment failure
  • Specialized
396 3.3

Loss of the ability to work, especially of an organ or machine

is specific to machines and devices rather than organs
fault
vsequipment failure
69 3.2

A problem in a machine or system that makes it not work

is the resulting stoppage or situation rather than the internal defect that caused it
breakdown
vsequipment failure
7 3.5

A machine or system stopping so it cannot work

is a broader situation of a machine stopping rather than a single instance
sudden breakdown
vsequipment failure
3.5

An unexpected failure of a machine that stops it working

is used for machine stoppages whether sudden or gradual not only abrupt

How Severe

equipment failure
3 3.4
malfunction
96 4.5
fault
69 3.2

Surface Forms

equipment failure singular
equipment failures plural

Morphology

equipment + failure

The meaning is directly compositional: 'equipment' (objects required for a task) combined with 'failure' (loss of normal function) yields 'a situation where a machine or device stops working', which a learner who knows both words can infer. This noun–noun combination follows ordinary, cross-linguistically common compounding patterns and is not idiomatic, so it is immediately understandable even in technical contexts.

Etymology

The noun equipment failure creates a simple picture: a piece of equipment, a machine or tool, has a failure and suddenly stops working, like a factory machine that jams and the work line comes to a stop. That's why the phrase means 'a machine or device stops working'.