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
as in fault
a defect in character
we could talk about your failings, but it would take all night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dying
Related Words
1
as in crashing
to stop functioning
my car failed just as I was about to head to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in collapsing
to be unsuccessful
despite all the publicity, the movie failed miserably at the box office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disappointing
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 weakening
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 forgetting
to miss the opportunity or obligation
failed to mention that he was looking for new job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fail
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 8 Nov. 2025
Defense attorney Marc Carlos argued Friday that prosecutors failed to turn up evidence that Bonillo was being paid large sums of money by the cartel.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Like every human creation, Wikipedia has flaws and failings.
—Jimmy Wales, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
Hungary’s critics say Budapest’s position is self-inflicted and a feature of its pro-Kremlin positioning, failing to take steps like European countries in similar situations to diversify its energy.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fail
Verb
Ream tried to chase him down but failed; right back Nathan Byrne almost got there but couldn’t.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 8 Nov. 2025
Defense attorney Marc Carlos argued Friday that prosecutors failed to turn up evidence that Bonillo was being paid large sums of money by the cartel.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
It is seen as a complex health outcome, not a moral failing.
—Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Like every human creation, Wikipedia has flaws and failings.
—Jimmy Wales, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
This final decision, coming from the Titans, ends a largely lackluster run for Diggs in Tennessee, starting just 12 games over the last two seasons and failing to record a single interception.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
Hungary’s critics say Budapest’s position is self-inflicted and a feature of its pro-Kremlin positioning, failing to take steps like European countries in similar situations to diversify its energy.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fail
Noun
-
Meanwhile, when asked who is to blame, 58% of those surveyed said both Disney and Google are equally at fault, while 37% point the finger at Disney and 5% blame Google.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Some of them have not been his fault.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The problem with that is that good teams — the winning franchises — build their teams inside-out by fortifying the offensive and defensive lines, which just happen to be the areas of weakness this season.—
Omar Kelly
November 7,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Exports weren’t the only area that saw surprise weakness.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
While pruning, remove any winter damage, along with dead and declining growths, to allow new shoots to reform the plant.—
Tom MacCubbin,
orlandosentinel.com,
6 Mar. 2021
-
In order to reopen, counties must demonstrate declining prevalence of COVID-19, testing ability of 30 tests per 10,000 residents per week, contact tracing and isolation facilities.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
15 May 2020
Noun
-
The carbon market has been beset by shortcomings and subject to accusations of greenwashing, however.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Chinese commentators acknowledged the shortcomings, stating that the test revealed the robots did not perform well in defensive situations.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
If, in Christian doctrine, the soul’s purpose is to transcend the body, then a soulless creature has no sin to commit.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The anthology’s first volume explores themes of ancestral sin, family, piety and consequence.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Mike Vrabel has breathed life into the New England Patriots, guiding them to a 7-2 start while riding a six-game winning streak despite fielding a roster that still has its fair share of deficiencies.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Opponents raised concerns about the cost of new construction and long-term debt, arguing that renovations could have addressed the library’s deficiencies.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
And honestly, what could be more feeble?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Their calculations show that a feeble interaction between the inflaton field and elementary particles called gluons would be sufficient to warm up inflation.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fail. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
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