MALFUNCTIONED Synonyms: 15 Similar and Opposite Words

malfunctioned

verb

past tense of malfunction

as in failed

to fail to function or work properly A software problem is causing the system to malfunction.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

started (up)

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of malfunctioned If the reason your appliance or system malfunctioned is listed under an exclusion, your home warranty provider will deny your claim. — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Not only should the ride have never malfunctioned, but the crisis was further exacerbated by the lack of a safety plan at Oaks Park. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Since the animatronic shark frequently malfunctioned on set, Jaws was forced to merely suggest the creature’s foreboding presence with ominous first-person camerawork instead of showing the killer up close. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 This can occur when the correct charger is plugged into an outlet with the wrong voltage, when the incorrect charger is used, or when the charger itself has malfunctioned. — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Aug. 2026 Video footage obtained by PEOPLE shows the scary moment the slingshot-style ride malfunctioned as one of the wires that attaches to the car appears to abruptly snap off. — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026 Others will spend most of the answer establishing that the mistake wasn’t really theirs; instructions were unclear, the computer malfunctioned, the department was understaffed, etc. — Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 Four years ago, Missouri farmer Jared Wilson’s John Deere combine malfunctioned mid-harvest. — Natalie Kainz, NBC news, 10 July 2026 Then, on lap 48, the active rear wing on Max Verstappen’s Red Bull malfunctioned at Stowe corner. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malfunctioned

Verb

Critically, the owner of the footage failed to show any impact on the market for the footage and in fact had never licensed the footage for compensation.

— Schuyler Moore, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Congress legalized home brewing in 1978 Occasional efforts in recent years to change the law failed to gain traction.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of failed

Verb

The program suffered another setback in June when one of the flight-test aircraft involved in the radar modernization effort crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
The small airplane crashed into the Seldovia Slough, a shallow waterway off Seldovia, a city of about 235 residents on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of crashed

Browse Nearby Words

malfunction

malfunctioned

malfunctioning

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Style

“Malfunctioned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malfunctioned. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of malfunctioned

verb

Example Sentences

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