machine malfunction
System going haywire
A machine malfunction is a failure of equipment to operate as intended.
The phrase appears in technical reports, accident investigations, and customer service contexts: The crash was attributed to a machine malfunction.
It often serves as a neutral explanation that deflects blame from human error—the machine failed, not the operator.
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
- system failureComplete breakdown of operations
- glitchMinor system fault
- errorFault in communication
- failureLack of success
crash · blue screen · fatal error · bug · jam · on the fritz · sparks · smoke · warning · warning light · check engine · alarm · override · reboot · factory reset · freeze · stall · dead in the water
- election problemsmiscount, overvote, undervote, voter fraud, ballot stuffing
- factory problemsdefects, breakdowns, downtime, bottlenecks, delays
- industrial accidentsindustrial accident, explosion, factory fire, mine explosion, mine disaster
- laundry problemsstains, fading, wrinkles, lint, holes
machine, malfunction, machines, machined, machining, machinery, machinist, malfunctions, malfunctioned