malfunction
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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Volatility was contained, and trading was orderly—not a malfunction but the machine doing its job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
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
“A fireworks malfunction did occur during last night’s post-match celebration at Angel City FC’s game vs. Orlando at BMO Stadium,” the team said in a statement to The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
So what if I’d had a minor “mad scientist” malfunction?
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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In the movie, Bolleau played the teen daughter of two scientists who build a time machine that malfunctions, forcing the kids to take care of their parents as they “de-age” and become children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Its report said Nintendo had "commented only in 2020, and not as soon as it was aware of the malfunctions", the Commerce Ministry and the court in Nanterre, outside Paris, said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
In a tongue-in-cheek post to Instagram, Glass Animals - best known for their 2020 sleeper-hit Heat Waves - claimed culpability for the lunar lavatory malfunctions.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
Apple’s successes are famous, but Mr. Pogue doesn’t steer away from discussing the dead-end products and corporate malfunctions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
Unlike early Soviet space capsules, which were automated, American spacecraft required experienced pilots at the controls in case of malfunctions.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
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An air valve had malfunctioned, according to the complaint, but Kettle refused to approve a fix afterwards because it would have led to train delays at Union Station.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
The transmission malfunctioned in his 1978 boat, Miss Julie, which he also uses for crabbing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The vehicle had coasted through space but was not in exactly the correct orbit after one of its engines malfunctioned during an initial burn.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
On March 5, Sri Lanka took control of the Iranian naval vessel, Irins Bushehr, after it had requested to dock at one of country's ports after one of its engines malfunctioned.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
During the first orbit, the automatic control system malfunctioned.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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A young man from Tatooine sets out to find his malfunctioning droid and ends up saving the galaxy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
It works by removing a patient’s own immune cells, engineering them in a lab to hunt down and kill malfunctioning cells and then infusing them back into the body.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
In Italy, courts in Palermo, Sicily, said they were suspending all non-urgent hearings until June 29 due to "malfunctioning air conditioning" while teaching unions in France called for strike action over "unacceptable working conditions".
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
The first attempted launch on Thursday was postponed due to a malfunctioning hydraulic pin in the launch tower.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
“Hi, I’m at the Speedway at Eighty-sixth and Ditch, and I need an ambulance. The great love of my life has a malfunctioning G-tube.”
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
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Vocabulary lists containing malfunction
"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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