malfunction

When gene activation goes wrong, cells can malfunction and contribute to diseases, including cancer.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

We’ve had water treatment failures, chemical imbalances brought on by malfunction, E. coli contamination, and the people of Flint, Michigan, of course, appreciate the criticality of clean water better than anyone in the country.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

Shake Shack denied charging “no tip” fees after a viral TikTok appeared to show menu prices jumping when a customer declined a gratuity, blaming the error on a kiosk malfunction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Earlier this year, Baidu's Apollo Go service suffered a software malfunction that left about 100 robotaxis stranded in Wuhan.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Maybe with its malfunction, I’m missing out on some sort of programmed routine.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

When spots in premium-format theaters went on sale last week, ticketing sites including Fandango and AMC Theatres faced a bottleneck of traffic that resulted in buyers reporting malfunctions and marathon waits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Those recorded cues act as a fail-safe against technical malfunctions during the broadcast, though the orchestra aims to play everything live.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026

Satellites passing through this region are exposed to elevated levels of radiation, increasing the risk of technical malfunctions, hardware damage, and even temporary outages.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026

Orbital changes of satellites also increase the risk of collision and space weather can also play havoc with sensitive electronics on board, causing malfunctions.

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025

Plane crashes are much more likely to be the result of an accumulation of minor difficulties and seemingly trivial malfunctions.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

The transmission malfunctioned in his 1978 boat, Miss Julie, which he also uses for crabbing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

A "Walter Mitty character" who falsely claimed his luxury electric Jaguar had malfunctioned on the motorway and could not brake, forcing police to bring it to an emergency stop, has been jailed.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Actually, it’s Stuart from an alternative universe enlisting him to restore things with the help of a malfunctioned quantum interference device created by Sheldon, Leonard and Howard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Its woes hit a nadir last week when a radio communications system malfunctioned, crippling nationwide for several hours and leaving thousands of passengers stranded in trains.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

It was like something inside of him had malfunctioned, and he was going to keep rambling until his batteries died.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Devices are at most risk when they are overcharged, malfunctioning or damaged, which can cause components to break down and release excess heat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

I have a similar complaint, but this relates to a toilet that is malfunctioning.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

The first attempted launch on Thursday was postponed due to a malfunctioning hydraulic pin in the launch tower.

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

To do so, Reddick had to overcome a malfunctioning battery and a large deficit in the final 50 laps.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026

At first, it scared me, but now I realize that half the time, when the alarms go off, it’s the machines that are malfunctioning, not the people.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman