fail

verb

ˈfāl How to pronounce fail (audio)
Definition of failnext
1
as in to die
to stop functioning my car failed just as I was about to head to work

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2
as in to collapse
to be unsuccessful despite all the publicity, the movie failed miserably at the box office

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3
as in to disappoint
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of although the minor-league franchise continues to fail local fans, hope springs eternal

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4
as in to weaken
to lose bodily strength or vigor ever since she reached the age of 90, Grandma has been noticeably failing

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5
as in to forget
to miss the opportunity or obligation failed to mention that he was looking for new job

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fail This matters because strategy often fails when the uncomfortable conversation arrives too late. — David Ribott, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 Manually coded simulations grounded in physics can help train robots more cheaply in virtual environments but can fail to capture many real-world complexities and uncertainties. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 7 July 2026 Multiple investigations, including those led by Republicans, have failed to provide evidence that the Fulton County election results were tampered with or changed. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 7 July 2026 Out of 350 company spinoffs valued at greater than $1 billion between 2000 and 2020, half failed to create any new shareholder value two years after the breakup, and another quarter destroyed value. — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fail
  1. die
  2. collapse
  3. disappoint
  4. weaken
  5. forget
  6. crash
  7. miss
  8. fade
Verb
  • That would give the planet more time to drift outward as the dying sun sheds its outer layers into space, potentially avoiding engulfment altogether.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 8 July 2026
  • The obvious gem of the collection is the attention-getting title story, about the Canadian Nobel laureate Alice Munro, who died in 2024 — and whose complex, layered short fiction Aviv admires.
    — Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of die
Verb
  • The camaraderie was evident on the ground here in La Guaira, the coastal city where quake damage was most severe, collapsing dozens of buildings.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • The dogs, specially trained to detect human scent, have spent days searching for people trapped beneath the rubble of nearly 200 buildings that collapsed following the two powerful back-to-back earthquakes.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Tom Ayers, 34, was disappointed to find the fences already up on Monday.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Asian national teams largely disappointed at the World Cup, with most exiting after the group stage, a stark contrast to African teams' historic success.
    — Simon Chadwick, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of disappoint
Verb
  • The flow of dark traffic is one of the factors that helped explain why oil markets had weakened significantly by early June, together with a surge in exports from the US and pullback in buying by China.
    — Weilun Soon, Fortune, 5 July 2026
  • But as several surveys have consistently indicated, optimism about our country's outlook has undeniably weakened.
    — Robert Hormats, Time, 4 July 2026
Definition of weaken
Verb
  • Aaron Morris of San Francisco wanted to make sure the match would be one his father, Pancho, would never forget.
    — Kenny Choi, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • Then, just as suddenly, the din fades away, the focus shifts and the election process is forgotten until the next round of howling protest.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of forget
Verb
  • The sheriff's office said Butler failed to maintain a single lane before leaving the roadway and crashing through the side of the home.
    — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Balogun crashed into Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemović, landing his foot on top of Muharemović’s during the physical match.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of crash
Verb
  • In the early days, the page teemed with posts sharing objects found, along with heartfelt and, at times, gut-wrenching pleas for missing personal items.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • After making all six of his shots and four of his free throws on Friday, Lendeborg was 0 for 4 from the field and missed both of his foul shots in the first half.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
Definition of miss
Verb
  • Markets had become comfortable with the idea that the conflict would gradually fade into the background but recent developments suggest that assumption may have been premature.
    — Hugh Leask,Chloe Taylor,Lee Ying Shan,Yun Li, CNBC, 7 July 2026
  • As the dance went on, more voices joined in and the music gradually faded, eventually disappearing.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
Definition of fade

Browse Nearby Words

fags
fail
fail (at)
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Cite this Entry

“Fail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fail. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of fail for Spanish Speakers

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