| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | abandonment | giving up or leaving behind |
| 2. | abortion | stoppage before completion |
| 3. | also-ran | an unsuccessful competitor |
| 4. | backfire | to have the opposite effect |
| 5. | bankruptcy | financial ruin or insolvency |
| 6. | blow it | to ruin a chance |
| 7. | bomb | a complete failure |
| 8. | botch | to do badly |
| 9. | breakdown | a failure to function properly |
| 10. | bungle | to handle clumsily and fail |
| 11. | bust | a failure; ruined venture |
| 12. | calamity | a serious disaster |
| 13. | capitulation | complete surrender |
| 14. | catastrophe | an overwhelming disaster |
| 15. | closure | ending of a business or service |
| 16. | collapse | sudden complete breakdown |
| 17. | come unstuck | to fail or go wrong |
| 18. | crash | to fail suddenly |
| 19. | crumble | to break down gradually |
| 20. | dead end | a situation with no progress |
| 21. | deadlock | a complete standstill |
| 22. | debacle | a sudden humiliating failure |
| 23. | default | failure to meet an obligation |
| 24. | defeat | loss in a contest or struggle |
| 25. | disaster | a terrible failure or misfortune |
| 26. | disgrace | loss of honor through failure |
| 27. | downfall | loss of power or success |
| 28. | dropout | someone who quits a course |
| 29. | dud | something that fails badly |
| 30. | embarrassment | shame from failure or awkwardness |
| 31. | error | something done incorrectly |
| 32. | failure | lack of success |
| 33. | fall short | to fail to reach |
| 34. | falter | to lose strength or confidence |
| 35. | fiasco | a disastrous failure |
| 36. | flop | a complete failure |
| 37. | foreclosure | loss of property for debt |
| 38. | founder | to fail completely |
| 39. | fumble | to handle awkwardly and fail |
| 40. | giving up | stopping effort toward success |
| 41. | go under | to fail financially |
| 42. | go wrong | to fail or malfunction |
| 43. | hitch | a small problem or delay |
| 44. | humiliation | painful loss of dignity |
| 45. | ignominy | public shame or disgrace |
| 46. | impasse | a deadlock with no solution |
| 47. | inadequacy | lack of enough quality or ability |
| 48. | incapacity | lack of ability or power |
| 49. | incompetence | lack of ability or skill |
| 50. | ineffectiveness | failure to produce results |
| 51. | ineptitude | lack of skill or judgment |
| 52. | insolvency | inability to pay debts |
| 53. | lapse | a temporary failure or error |
| 54. | letdown | a disappointing failure |
| 55. | liquidation | ending a business by selling assets |
| 56. | loser | someone who often fails |
| 57. | losing | not winning; unsuccessful |
| 58. | loss | failure to win or keep |
| 59. | lost cause | hopeless effort or person |
| 60. | mess | a confused failed situation |
| 61. | misadventure | an unlucky mishap |
| 62. | misfire | to fail to work properly |
| 63. | misfortune | bad luck or ill outcome |
| 64. | miss | failure to hit or reach |
| 65. | misstep | a wrong or unwise step |
| 66. | mistake | an error in action or judgment |
| 67. | muff | to fail through clumsiness |
| 68. | no-hoper | person with little chance |
| 69. | nonachievement | failure to achieve |
| 70. | nonstarter | something with no chance |
| 71. | nose-dive | a sudden steep decline |
| 72. | oversight | an unintentional failure to notice |
| 73. | pitfall | a hidden source of failure |
| 74. | quit | to stop trying or leave |
| 75. | quitting | stopping before success |
| 76. | resignation | acceptance of defeat |
| 77. | retreat | withdrawal after failure or pressure |
| 78. | reversal | a change to the worse |
| 79. | ruin | complete destruction or failure |
| 80. | setback | a reversal or delay in progress |
| 81. | shutdown | forced stopping of operations |
| 82. | sink | to decline into failure |
| 83. | slump | a period of decline |
| 84. | stalemate | a standstill with no progress |
| 85. | strike out | to fail completely |
| 86. | stumble | to falter or fail |
| 87. | surrender | giving up resistance or effort |
| 88. | tailspin | a rapid downward spiral |
| 89. | train wreck | a disastrous failure |
| 90. | underachievement | performance below potential |
| 91. | underperformance | performance below expectations |
| 92. | undoing | cause of ruin or failure |
| 93. | unsuccessful | not achieving the desired result |
| 94. | unsuccessfulness | state of not succeeding |
| 95. | wash out | to fail or be canceled |
| 96. | wash-up | a useless or failed person |
| 97. | washout | a complete failure |
| 98. | wilt | to lose strength and fail |
| 99. | withdrawal | pulling back from effort |
| 100. | wreck | something badly damaged or failed |