declare failure

USAGE SUMMARY

"declare failure" is grammatically correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you are referring to someone or something admitting that they have failed to achieve a certain goal or task. For example, you might say "After failing to meet the deadline, the project manager had to declare failure."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Six months was chosen as a reasonable ART period to declare failure and to, eventually, start a second line of ART in resource constrained countries.

Plosone

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Europeans were declaring failure.

The New York Times

Washington's budget "supercommittee" studied various cuts before declaring failure.

The New York Times

By 1990, the old Board of Education declared failure and began opening "new small schools," a process that continues.

The New York Times

But in just over three weeks, that will become harder, when a special, bipartisan Congressional committee runs up against the Thanksgiving deadline for reaching an agreement on spending cuts and deficit reduction — or declares failure and accepts deep, mandatory cuts.

The New York Times

The backup declares failure of its primary after continuous missing of the heartbeats.

Complex Adaptive Systems Modeling

Unless the social and economic factors that account for the differences are addressed early in disadvantaged children's lives, the No Child Left Behind law will eventually result in virtually all of this country's schools' being declared failures.

The New York Times

Apparently some entrepreneurs in the boonies are so unconnected they haven't heard that venture capital is dead or that their ideas have been tried and declared failures by the coastal sophisticates.

Forbes

Was all of this a cunningly devised smokescreen to so financially weaken public schools that they'd be declared "failures" to advance a right-wing agenda of certain governors, legislatures, and the school privatization industry?

Huffington Post

The honchos declare that failure to reach a Grand Bargain would spark a damaging loss of confidence in the U.S. government's fiscal prospects, a run on Treasury bonds, and a spike in interest rates.

The New York Times

The Commission on Elections said it might declare a "failure of elections" in several areas in and around Mindanao, where voting could not be held because of violence, including fighting between the military and Islamist insurgents.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "declare failure" when you want to emphasize a formal or definitive acknowledgment of a lack of success. Consider the context to determine if a more nuanced synonym like "acknowledge failure" or "admit defeat" might be more appropriate.

Common error

Avoid using "declare failure" in casual conversations or informal writing. It can sound overly dramatic or formal when a simpler phrase like "didn't work" or "failed" would suffice. Reserve "declare failure" for situations where a formal statement or judgment is being made.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "declare failure" functions as a verb phrase acting as a predicate, where "declare" is a transitive verb and "failure" is its direct object. It indicates a formal or definitive statement about the lack of success.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

17%

Less common in

Wiki

7%

Academia

4%

Reference

4%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "declare failure" is a grammatically sound phrase used to formally acknowledge that something has not succeeded. Ludwig AI confirms its validity. While versatile, it is most commonly found in news, scientific, and formal business contexts. When writing, be mindful of the context and choose synonyms like "acknowledge failure" or "admit defeat" for nuanced situations. Avoid overusing it in informal settings, where simpler alternatives may be more suitable. Remember that using "declare failure" implies a formal judgment or announcement of a lack of success, as exemplified in Ludwig's examples.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

acknowledge failure

Highlights the act of admitting that something has not succeeded.

recognize failure

Emphasizes the understanding and awareness that something has not worked out as planned.

state failure

A more neutral and straightforward way of indicating that something has failed.

announce defeat

Focuses on the announcement of losing, shifting the emphasis from the general concept of failure.

report failure

Focuses on the act of communicating the fact that something has failed, often in a formal setting.

admit defeat

Similar to "announce defeat", focuses on conceding loss in a competition or struggle.

proclaim failure

Emphasizes a more formal and public acknowledgment of failure.

concede failure

Implies a reluctant acceptance of the inability to succeed.

deem unsuccessful

Shifts the focus to judging something as not having achieved its objectives.

pronounce unsuccessful

Implies a more official or authoritative judgment of something's lack of success.

FAQs

How can I use "declare failure" in a sentence?

You can use "declare failure" to indicate a formal acknowledgement that something has not succeeded. For instance, "The company had to declare failure of the project after months of setbacks."

What are some alternatives to "declare failure"?

Depending on the context, you could use alternatives such as "acknowledge failure", "admit defeat", or "concede failure".

Is it appropriate to use "declare failure" in informal conversations?

While grammatically correct, "declare failure" might sound too formal for informal settings. Consider using simpler alternatives like "it didn't work" or "it failed".

What is the difference between "declare failure" and "announce failure"?

"Declare failure" often implies a more official or definitive statement, whereas "announce failure" simply means to make the failure known. The choice depends on the context and the desired level of formality.