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

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 Earlier this year, residents filed a lawsuit against San Isabel Electric, alleging the utility failed to properly maintain its lines by clearing away nearby trees. — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 American Horror Story is on a generational run this season, bringing back beloved characters from the show’s past 12 installments and throwing them together in somewhat random configurations that still never fail to please me. — Emma Specter, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026 Prioritize Wellbeing To Ease Change Fatigue Reskilling fails when treated as content, not capacity. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Apple has been selling its HomePod smart speakers since 2017, but those devices have failed to gain widespread traction. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 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
  • Composer Ghulam Mohammed died in 1968 after writing the songs, leaving Naushad to complete the background score.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Ryder’s Law was reintroduced this year after another carriage horse collapsed and died in Central Park, and in a separate incident, tourist Romanch Mahajan, 18, died after falling off a carriage after the operator lost control.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of die
Verb
  • The moment the actors wink at the audience, the movie collapses.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The yellow house on Seaside Walk began to collapse Sunday morning, according to two Long Beach Fire Department lifeguards.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • The California Attorney General’s Office, in a statement, said it was disappointed by the decision and reviewing the opinion from the judges.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The year’s most discussable film is finally in theaters and its many bizarre surprises don’t disappoint.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of disappoint
Verb
  • But while those will provide short-term relief, the currency is expected to weaken toward the end of the year and mid-2027, and a 100 rupee-per-dollar mark could not be ruled out, strategists said.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • However, following his arrest, the owner, Mohammad Khan, blamed this week's rains for weakening one of the roofs, according to police, who said the investigation was still underway.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of weaken
Verb
  • And don't forget the phones belonging to parents or older relatives.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Gone but not forgotten Tributes from friends and colleagues have poured in across the Internet since Gray’s death was announced.
    — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of forget
Verb
  • At most, the emissions of plasma crashing into our atmosphere might paint the sky in pretty shades of green or pink.
    — Mike McRae October 15, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Physical tabletop models helped the crew determine how a vehicle should crash through a building when there was no time for elaborate previws.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of crash
Verb
  • Still, Musk has a track record of setting optimistic release targets for Tesla products, only to miss them by years.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Analysts said then that the sell-off was caused as profit margins missed expectations, despite revenue and operating profit reaching record highs, according to analysts.
    — Jenny Lee,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of miss
Verb
  • The film is set in Lucknow as the age of the nawabs (Muslim nobles) fades.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But that boom eventually faded, overwhelmed by larger forces including the rise of the regulatory state and increasingly generous government bailouts.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of fade

Browse Nearby Words

fags
fail
fail (at)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fail. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All