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   Fail

   /fāl/

   

   verb

   • 1. be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal: "he failed in his attempt to secure election"
   • ▪ be unsuccessful in (an examination, test, or interview): "she failed her finals" Similar be unsuccessful innot passbe found wantingbe found deficientnot make the gradenot pass musternot come up to scratchbe rejectedinformal:flunkOpposite pass
   • ▪ (of a person or a commodity) be unable to meet the standards set by (a test of quality or eligibility): "the player has failed a drug test"
   • ▪ judge (someone, especially in an examination) not to have passed: "the criteria used to pass or fail the candidate"
   • 2. neglect to do something: "the firm failed to give adequate risk warnings"
   • ▪ behave in a way contrary to hopes or expectations by not doing something: "commuter chaos has again failed to materialize"
   • ▪ used to express a strong belief that something must be the case: "you cannot fail to be deeply impressed"
   • ▪ used to indicate that something invariably happens: "such comments never failed to annoy him"
   • ▪ desert or let down (someone): "at the last moment her nerve failed her" Similar let downdisappointbreak one's promise todash someone's hopesfall short of someone's expectationsneglectdesertabandonbetraybe disloyal tobe unfaithful tobreak faith withplay someone falseinformal:do the dirty onbail onarchaic:forsakeOpposite support
   • 3. break down; cease to work well: "a truck whose brakes had failed" Similar break downbreakstop workingcease to functioncut outstopstallcrashgive outmalfunctionact upgo wrongdevelop a faultbe faultybe defectiveinformal:conk outgo kaputgo phutgive up the ghostgo on the blinkbe on the blinkpack upplay upOpposite workbe in working order
   • ▪ become weaker or of poorer quality; die away: "the light began to fail" Similar fadegrow lessgrow dimdimdie awaydwindlewanedisappearvanishpeter outdissolvedeterioratedegeneratedeclinego into declinefadediminishdwindlewaneebbsinkcollapsedecayOpposite improve
   • ▪ (especially of a rain or a crop or supply) be lacking or insufficient when needed or expected: "the drought means crops have failed" Similar be deficientbe wantingbe lackingfall shortbe insufficientbe inadequatenot come to ripenesswitherOpposite thrive
   • ▪ (of a business or a person) be obliged to cease trading because of lack of funds; become bankrupt: "he lost his savings when the store failed" Similar be unsuccessfulnot succeedlack successfall throughfall flatbreak downabortmiscarrybe defeatedsuffer defeatbe in vainbe frustratedcollapsefoundermisfirebackfirenot come up to scratchmeet with disastercome to griefcome to nothingcome to naughtmiss the markrun agroundgo astrayinformal:flopfizzle outflatlinecome a cropperbite the dustbombblow up in someone's facego down like a lead ballooncollapsecrashgo undergo bankruptbecome insolventgo into receivershipbe in the hands of the receiversgo into liquidationcease tradingcease productionbe closedbe shut downclose downbe wound upinformal:foldflopgo bustgo brokego bumpgo to the wallgo belly upOpposite succeedthrive

   noun

   • 1. a grade that is not high enough to pass an examination or test.

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old French faillir (verb), faille (noun), based on Latin fallere ‘deceive’.

   Scrabble Points: 7

   • F

     4

   • A

     1

   • I

     1

   • L

     1

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2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › failFail Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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3. People also ask

   How do you describe a failure in a sentence?

   • fail We tried our best, but ultimately the project failed. fall apart Things were going smoothly until we hired him, and now everything is falling apart. fall to pieces The plan has potential, but unless we proceed carefully, it could fall to pieces. fall through Our plans to visit fell through at the last minute.

   FAIL | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/fail

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   What does fail mean in English?

   • The verb fail describes something that stops working, like brakes in a car that fail, or is found to be unacceptable, like restaurants that fail their inspection for cleanliness. The verb fail comes from the Old French word faillir, meaning “be lacking,” “miss,” or “not succeed.”

   Fail - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

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   What happens if something fails?

   • If something fails, it stops working properly, or does not do what it is supposed to do. The lights mysteriously failed, and we stumbled around in complete darkness. [VERB] In fact many food crops failed because of the drought. [VERB] If a business, organization, or system fails, it becomes unable to continue in operation or in existence.

   FAIL definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

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   What does failen mean in English?

   • Middle English failen, from Anglo-French faillir, from Vulgar Latin *fallire, alteration of Latin fallere to deceive, disappoint 13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Failed Attempts to Reform English... “Fail.”

   Fail Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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4. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryFAIL | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

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   Learn the meaning of fail as a verb and a noun, with synonyms, antonyms, and usage examples. Find out how to use fail in different contexts, such as exams, business, health, and more.

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6. www.dictionary.com › browse › failFAIL Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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7. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definitionfail verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage ...

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   Learn the meaning, pronunciation and usage of the verb fail in English. Find out how to use fail in different contexts, such as not succeeding, not passing, not working, disappointing or being insufficient.

8. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › failFail - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms - Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › fail

   The verb fail describes something that stops working, like brakes in a car that fail, or is found to be unacceptable, like restaurants that fail their inspection for cleanliness. The verb fail comes from the Old French word faillir, meaning “be lacking,” “miss,” or “not succeed.”

9. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishFAIL definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

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   Learn the various meanings and uses of the word fail as a verb and a noun in British and American English. Find synonyms, examples, collocations, and grammar rules for fail.

10. www.collinsdictionary.com › english-word › failFAIL - All you need to know about it | Collins English Dictionary

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    Learn the meaning, pronunciation, and usage of the word FAIL in English and other languages. Find out how to use FAIL in sentences, collocations, and grammar contexts, and see synonyms and related words.