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

Weight loss, inflammation, muscle and bone related illnesses, chemical imbalance due to kidney malfunction, infectious diseases caused by parasites were a few among them, he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 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

“It’s some kind of malfunction in my brain.”

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

Extremely structured to this day, if something throws off Freeman’s schedule, his “robot mind,” as he puts it, malfunctions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

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

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

“Whenever an engine malfunctions, I like to tap-dance around it. Works every time.”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

The US military said one of its underwater drones "malfunctioned" and was not carrying any sensitive data.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

In fact, the devices appear to have malfunctioned.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

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

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

What if the toilet she was using malfunctioned, or got clogged?

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

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

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

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

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

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

“She helped me figure out a malfunctioning sprinkler system last fall. Then I helped her change a lightbulb she couldn’t reach.”

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison