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

“Local residents in West Oakland are concerned about the installation of metal detectors at West Oakland High after a malfunction in the equipment momentarily harmed a student,” the man said.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

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

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

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

German officials said Berlin had calibrated its response to the Leipzig incident in part to reflect the fact that the drones had malfunctioned and caused no damage or victims.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 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

The chunky metal box malfunctioned, initially leaving more than 100,000 people without power.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 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

When the equipment abruptly malfunctioned, Jim went on alone, hitting a few sour notes.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

A manager suggested her equipment might be malfunctioning or needed to be recalibrated, cleaned or swapped out, but she insisted on filing a report, Dixon said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

For example, the tube-bunker was initially envisioned as a “completely dark space” twinkling with a variety of malfunctioning countdown clocks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 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

A van driver who killed the passenger of a broken-down car on a smart motorway where the safety alert system was malfunctioning has been given a suspended sentence.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026

The top of the skyscraper was lit up as usual, but the lights seemed to be malfunctioning.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan