fail
adjective
1. (slang, US) That is a failure.
noun
1. (uncountable) (slang) Poor quality; substandard workmanship.
- The project was full of fail.
2. (slang) A failure (condition of being unsuccessful)
3. (slang, US) A failure (something incapable of success)
4. A failure, especially of a financial transaction (a termination of an action).
5. A failing grade in an academic examination.
6. A piece of turf cut from grassland.
verb
1. 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
Similar word(s): neglect
Definition categories: social
2. be unsuccessful
- Where do today's public schools fail?
- The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably
Similar word(s): miscarry
Definition categories: social
3. 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
Similar word(s): betray
Definition categories: emotion, disappoint
4. stop operating or functioning
- The engine failed on the way to town
Similar word(s): break, die, go
Definition categories: change
5. be unable
- I fail to understand your motives
Definition categories: social
6. judge unacceptable
- The teacher failed six students
Definition categories: social, evaluate, judge
7. fail to get a passing grade
- She studied hard but failed nevertheless
- Did I fail the test?
Definition categories: social
8. 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
Definition categories: social
9. become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close
- A number of banks failed that year
Definition categories: possession
10. prove insufficient
- The water supply for the town failed after a long drought
Definition categories: change
11. get worse
Definition categories: change, decline, worsen
Sentences with fail as a verb:
- Throughout my life, I have always failed.
- The truck failed to start.
- The report fails to take into account all the mitigating factors.
- After running five minutes, the engine failed.
- I failed in English last year.
- The professor failed me because I did not complete any of the course assignments.
- The crops failed last year.
- A sick man fails.