fail
verb
\ ˈfāl
\
\
failed;
failing;
fails
Definition of fail
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: to lose strength : weaken
her health was failing
b
: to fade or die away
until our family line fails
c
: to stop functioning normally
the patient's heart failed
2a
: to fall short
failed in his duty
b
: to be or become absent or inadequate
the water supply failed
c
: to be unsuccessful
the marriage failed
specifically
: to be unsuccessful in achieving a passing grade
took the exam and failed
d
: to become bankrupt or insolvent
banks were failing
1a
: to disappoint the expectations or trust of
her friends failed her
b
: to miss performing an expected service or function for
his wit failed him
2
: to be deficient in : lack
never failed an invincible courage— Douglas MacArthur
3
: to leave undone : neglect
fail to lock the door
4a
: to be unsuccessful in passing
failed chemistry
b
: to grade (someone, such as a student) as not passing
The teacher failed only his two worst students.
fail
nounDefinition of fail (Entry 2 of 2)
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Other Words from fail
Verb
failingly
\ ˈfā-liŋ-lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Synonyms & Antonyms for fail
Synonyms: Verb
break, break down, conk (out), crash, cut out, die, give out, stall
Antonyms: Verb
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Examples of fail in a Sentence
Verb
He failed in his first attempt but succeeded in his second attempt. His first company failed, but his second company succeeded. He felt that he had failed her when she needed him most. The government has failed the voters.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The Hornets have led in three of their last four away fixtures against Everton, but have failed to win any of them. — SI.com, "Everton vs Watford Preview: Where to Watch, Buy Tickets, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News," 14 Aug. 2019 Alvarez, who defeated Danny Jacobs in May in a match that failed to create much buzz, is now considering a list of capable but relatively anonymous opponents for his next fight, according to The Athletic. — Los Angeles Times, "Column: Boxing is dead and the sport has only its internal politics to blame," 14 Aug. 2019 These are unproductive companies that would fail if debt costs were at normal levels. — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, "Banks are paying people to borrow money. That’s alarming news for the global economy.," 14 Aug. 2019 Another big risk is that central banks fail to act, causing a negative reaction in financial markets that feeds through to the real economy. — Charles Riley, CNN, "5 of the world's biggest economies are at risk of recession," 14 Aug. 2019 Schools that fail the inspections would be given opportunities to make changes. — Josefin Dolsten, sun-sentinel.com, "New York Orthodox schools are fighting secular education proposal," 13 Aug. 2019 The state also alleged that Eonsmoke failed to verify the ages of its online buyers. — Sheila Kaplan, New York Times, "‘Juul-alikes’ Are Filling Shelves With Sweet, Teen-Friendly Nicotine Flavors," 13 Aug. 2019 The problem is that much of this attention is coming from those who want the film to fail at the box office. — E.b. | New York, The Economist, "Rhys Ernst on the furore over his new film, “Adam”," 13 Aug. 2019 San Diego County is owed more than $106 million from property owners who failed to pay all their property taxes last year. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego County owed $106 million in taxes, sends default bills to taxpayers," 13 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Data experts have tried to learn from that epic fail -- and one has proven especially successful, so far. — oregonlive.com, "Donald Trump will lose the 2020 election, concludes unique prediction model that nailed 2018 midterm results," 17 July 2019 If all other layers of safety fail, mouth-to-mouth CPR should be administered right away and 911 called. — Molly Hudson, azcentral, "Water-related fatalities down for 2019 in Maricopa, Pinal, Pima counties," 17 July 2019 That every day there is no fail, maybe 100 messages. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "Inside Every Interior Designer's Favorite Account on Instagram," 17 May 2019 More in CFO Journal Finance chiefs often lack the relevant skills within their teams, and those in the C-suite fail to collaborate effectively, according to the survey. — Ezequiel Minaya, WSJ, "Finance Chiefs Say Too Much Data Is Making It Harder to Keep on Top of Risks," 19 July 2018 When any highlighter enthusiast talks shop, they always, without fail, mention Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector Highlighters. — Shannon Barbour, The Cut, "Becca’s Tangerine Highlighter Gives the Perfect Summery Glow," 23 Apr. 2018 The suspect was also charged with fail to identify - fugitive. — Houston Chronicle, "Bellaire Police Department weekly report," 29 July 2019 Fan support is a large part of the Houston Texans' success in recent years, with supporters piling into the NRG Stadium without fail in the past few seasons. — SI.com, "The 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams in the World," 24 July 2019 Mandated by the Constitution, the census has been conducted without fail every 10 years since 1790. — Chris Hamby, BostonGlobe.com, "Hacking, glitches, disinformation: Why experts are worried about the 2020 Census," 4 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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