fail

1 of 2

verb

failed; failing; fails

intransitive verb

1
a
: 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
2
a
: 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

transitive verb

1
a
: 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 courageDouglas MacArthur
3
: to leave undone : neglect
fail to lock the door
4
a
: 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.
failingly adverb

fail

2 of 2

noun

plural fails
1
: failure
usually used in the phrase without fail
Every day, without fail, he has toast and coffee for breakfast.
see also epic fail
2
: a failure (as by a security dealer) to deliver or receive securities within a prescribed period after purchase or sale

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
An initial test flight also failed in April, exploding four minutes after liftoff and flinging debris throughout the surrounding area. WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023 SpaceX congratulated its team on a successful lift-off and booster separation, which comes months after the booster failed to separate during the first flight test. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 18 Nov. 2023 In October, a group of New York Republicans called for an expulsion vote which failed to succeed on Nov. 1. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023 In line with last year’s somewhat intimate party, GQ’s Will Welch never fails to create an impeccable vibe that is magnified by each guest. Jamila Stewart, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2023 This case is not the same as the great-power distraction, in which the world’s most powerful states simply fail to focus on emerging crises. Paul Poast, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023 Yet reporting found that all the seats that failed in these types of rear-end collisions met or exceeded the half-century-old federal strength standard. Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2023 Some even say the market has failed and price regulation is needed. Harris Meyer, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023 People’s diets are one place where most high-income countries are failing drastically. WIRED, 6 Nov. 2023
Noun
Summaries of all the applicants, which included pass/fail notes, were published on the AMCC website when the licenses were awarded Monday. Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023 Here’s what the report found The report found that 0.01% of leaves are passing the critical temperature threshold, meaning their ability to photosynthesize fails. Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2023 There was very much a fail hard, fail fast mentality, which has never been my vibe. Claire Stern, ELLE, 15 Aug. 2023 As dreams of building a home fail, a sense of hope can curdle into a feeling of homelessness. Meghan Racklin, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2023 There’s no getting around the fact that game and the entire series constituted an epic fail for Brown. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2023 Will people be lulled into letting the AI do the data analyses for them and ergo fail to double-check or use humankind's common sense to ascertain whether the results are viable and practical? Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 July 2023 Yes, 2020 may seem like a complete fail with all the constant bad news and tragic moments. Jonathan Landrum Jr., Chron, 25 Dec. 2020 Yet their biggest fail was a problem Vollmer’s reforms didn’t address — or perhaps even recognize as a problem. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English failen, from Anglo-French faillir, from Vulgar Latin *fallire, alteration of Latin fallere to deceive, disappoint

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fail was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near fail

Cite this Entry

“Fail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fail. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

fail

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to lose strength : weaken
failing eyesight
b
: to stop functioning
the engine failed
2
a
: to fall short
failed in their duty
b
: to become absent or lacking
the power failed
c
: to be unsuccessful (as in passing an examination)
d
: to grade as not passing
fail a student
e
: to become bankrupt
3
: disappoint, desert
fail a friend in need
4
: to leave undone : neglect
fail to answer the telephone

fail

2 of 2 noun
: failure sense 1
usually used in the phrase without fail

Medical Definition

fail

intransitive verb
1
: to weaken or lose strength
her health was failing
2
: to stop functioning normally
the patient's heart failed

Legal Definition

fail

intransitive verb
1
: to be or become inadequate or unsuccessful especially in fulfilling certain formal requirements
even if one or more terms are left open, a contract for sale does not fail for indefinitenessUniform Commercial Code
2
: to become bankrupt or insolvent

transitive verb

: to leave undone or neglect to do
fail to appear in court
fail to read a contract

More from Merriam-Webster on fail

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