1. When talking about machines, the way it dies/becomes permanently unusable/gets bricked/gets broken.
2. Refers to the method by which anything/anyone with a fixed life span meets their doom.
1. An overclocked CPU's mode of failure is usually overheating.
1. If the blown engine's mode of failure is a cracked connecting rod, you should modify the connecting rod to make it stronger.
2. Instead of being stabbed with a spear, a common mode of failure for Presidents of the US who die in office is being shot with a firearm.
2. "In the 1st Millennium, a common mode of failure for Popes was martyrdom."
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