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.
To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence; to cease to be furnished in the usual or expected manner, or to be altogether cut off from supply; to be lacking;
Verb
get worse; "Her health is declining"
Verb
stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident"
Verb
prove insufficient; "The water supply for the town failed after a long drought"
Verb
disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake; "His sense of smell failed him this time"; "His strength finally failed him"; "His children failed him in the crisis"
Verb
become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close; "The toy company went bankrupt after the competition hired cheap Mexican labor"; "A number of banks failed that year"
Verb
fall short in what is expected; "She failed in her obligations as a good daughter-in-law"; "We must not fail his obligation to the victims of the Holocaust"
Verb
fail to get a passing grade; "She studied hard but failed nevertheless"; "Did I fail the test?"
Verb
judge unacceptable; "The teacher failed six students"
Verb
be unsuccessful; "Where do today''s public schools fail?"; "The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably"
Verb
fail to do something; leave something undone; "She failed to notice that her child was no longer in his crib"; "The secretary failed to call the customer and the company lost the account"
Verb
be unable; "I fail to understand your motives"
v. i.
To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in
any measure or degree up to total absence; to cease to be furnished in
the usual or expected manner, or to be altogether cut off from supply;
to be lacking; as, streams fail; crops fail.
v. i.
To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be
deficient or unprovided; -- used with of.
v. i.
To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay;
to sink.
v. i.
To deteriorate in respect to vigor, activity, resources,
etc.; to become weaker; as, a sick man fails.
v. i.
To perish; to die; -- used of a person.
v. i.
To be found wanting with respect to an action or a duty to
be performed, a result to be secured, etc.; to miss; not to fulfill
expectation.
v. i.
To come short of a result or object aimed at or desired ;
to be baffled or frusrated.
v. i.
To err in judgment; to be mistaken.
v. i.
To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to
be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to
become bankrupt or insolvent.
v. t.
To be wanting to ; to be insufficient for; to disappoint;
to desert.
v. t.
To miss of attaining; to lose.
v. i.
Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; -- mostly
superseded by failure or failing, except in the phrase without fail.
v. i.
Death; decease.
Fail
As the waters fail from the sea.
Till Lionel's issue fails, his should not reign.2.
If ever they fail of beauty, this failure is not be attributed to their size.3.
When earnestly they seek Such proof, conclude they then begin to fail.4.
Had the king in his last sickness failed.6.
Take heed now that ye fail not to do this.
Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale.7.
Our envious foe hath failed.8.
Which ofttimes may succeed, so as perhaps Shall grieve him, if I fail not.9.
Fail
There shall not fail thee a man on the throne.2.
Though that seat of earthly bliss be failed.
Fail
To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence; to cease to be furnished in the usual or expected manner, or to be altogether cut off from supply; to be lacking;
To be wanting to ; to be insufficient for; to disappoint; to desert.
Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; -- mostly superseded by failure or failing, except in the phrase without fail.
Usage Examples
Fail I alone, in words and deeds? Why, all men strive and who succeeds?
An artist cannot fail it is a success to be one.
A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.
Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgement, repeated every day.
Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.
Famous pivot stories are often failures but you don't need to fail before you pivot. All a pivot is is a change is strategy without a change in vision. Whenever entrepreneurs see a new way to achieve their vision - a way to be more successful - they have to remain nimble enough to take it.
Although one may fail to find happiness in theatrical life, one never wishes to give it up after having once tasted its fruits.
Challenges of historic import threaten America's future. Action on the deficit, economy, energy, health care and much more is imperative, yet our legislative institutions fail to act. Congress must be reformed.
Children are supposed to help hold a marriage together. They do this in a number of ways. For instance, they demand so much attention that a husband and wife, concentrating on their children, fail to notice each other's faults.
Misspelled Formfail, dfail, rfail, tfail, gfail, vfail, cfail, dail, rail, tail, gail, vail, cail, fdail, frail, ftail, fgail, fvail, fcail, fqail, fwail, fsail, fzail, fqil, fwil, fsil, fzil, faqil, fawil, fasil, fazil, fauil, fa8il, fa9il, faoil, fajil, fakil, faul, fa8l, fa9l, faol, fajl, fakl, faiul, fai8l, fai9l, faiol, faijl, faikl, faikl, faiol, faipl, fai:l, faik, faio, faip, fai:, failk, failo, failp, fail:.
Other Usage ExamplesFew things are impracticable in themselves and it is for want of application, rather than of means, that men fail to succeed.
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
A politics that is not sensitive to the concerns and circumstances of people's lives, a politics that does not speak to and include people, is an intellectually arrogant politics that deserves to fail.
All too many Muslims fail to grasp Islam, which teaches one to be lenient towards others and to understand their value systems, knowing that these are tolerated by Islam as a religion.
As a politician, you have to deal with someone wanting you to fail every day. I think I prefer being in a situation where generally people are rooting for me, and if they aren't rooting for me, they aren't out there to see my downfall. I respect the people who have the stomach for it.
Despite my emphasis on technology, I do not view laws as inherently evil. My goals are political ones, even if my techniques are not. The only way to fundamentally succeed is by changing existing laws. If I rejected all help from the political arena I would inevitably fail.
Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.
A man may speak very well in the House of Commons, and fail very completely in the House of Lords. There are two distinct styles requisite: I intend, in the course of my career, if I have time, to give a specimen of both.
But in its final creation it was not the part of the Father's power to fail as though exhausted. It was not the part of His wisdom to waver in a needful matter through poverty of counsel.
A lot of sequins for New Year's! Red, green, white - I fail at all of that because I'm always in black. But for Christmas, I do love wearing cute dresses with tights and a pair of boots.
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