1
as in to die
to stop functioning
my car failed just as I was about to head to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to collapse
to be unsuccessful
despite all the publicity, the movie failed miserably at the box office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to weaken
to lose bodily strength or vigor
ever since she reached the age of 90, Grandma has been noticeably failing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to forget
to miss the opportunity or obligation
failed to mention that he was looking for new job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Reilly failed to finish in her allotted 1 minute and 30 seconds and was immediately evicted.
—
Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Three Arlington restaurants were temporarily closed and another establishment failed after inspectors found roaches and unsanitary conditions during the August 17-30 health inspections, according to data from the city and compiled by the Star-Telegram.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2025
Zhang further explained that traditional anti-jamming techniques rely on static assumptions and often fail in rapidly changing conditions, causing serious performance losses.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
The American suffered a chastening 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Iga Świątek in the Wimbledon final eight weeks ago, the first time in the Open Era that a women’s player has failed to win a single game in the final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fail
Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Three Arlington restaurants were temporarily closed and another establishment failed after inspectors found roaches and unsanitary conditions during the August 17-30 health inspections, according to data from the city and compiled by the Star-Telegram.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2025
Zhang further explained that traditional anti-jamming techniques rely on static assumptions and often fail in rapidly changing conditions, causing serious performance losses.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2025
The American suffered a chastening 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Iga Świątek in the Wimbledon final eight weeks ago, the first time in the Open Era that a women’s player has failed to win a single game in the final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fail
Verb
-
Good Fortune follows Reeves as an angel, Gabriel, tasked by his boss, Martha (Sandra Oh), with stopping humans from dying while texting and driving.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The fact that babies and toddlers continue to die from ingesting fentanyl will likely come up in a meeting next month.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By this time, the Soviet Union had collapsed, leading Manuylov to start a business in the candy trade.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Luckily, the airport had a failsafe in the form of a ground material designed to collapse under the plane's weight and stop it in its tracks.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Many fans will be disappointed United were unable to persuade the 22-year-old to stay.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Much modern architecture does disappoint.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Foreign powers such as Russia and China, which challenge America and its allies from Europe to the Middle East to Taiwan and the South China Sea, have long been accused of exploiting such divisions through disinformation campaigns that inflame tensions and weaken confidence in American governance.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
But around the equinoxes, the natural buffer weakens.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Neither will forget what Harbaugh did late in the blowout, when going for two points after a touchdown instead of kicking a PAT to signal everything was A-OK between the two.—
Jay Paris,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Don’t forget meds, food, clean ID tags, and anything else your dog might need on the trip.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In the finale, Laura crashes Daniel and Cherry’s engagement party, and Cherry is arrested for vandalizing Laura’s gallery.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Estonia last month reported a Ukrainian drone crashing and exploding on its territory.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Of course, sadly missing from the grand reunion that was The Grand Finale was the late Maggie Smith, who played Robert’s mother, Violet.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
-
An older inmate with a history of hypertension and cognitive decline went unmonitored for months, missing standard screenings that could have caught deteriorating health.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Midnight blue, a heavier shade, has been favored in recent years as the summer fades and fall approaches.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Sep. 2025
-
As the sun set over the East River, the music faded but the warmth lingered.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fail. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share