English Explanatory Dictionary

fail

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To be unsuccessful.
  2. Not to achieve a particular stated goal. (Usage note: The direct object of this word is usually an infinitive.)
  3. To neglect.
  4. Of a machine, etc.: to cease to operate correctly.
  5. To be wanting to, to be insufficient for, to disappoint, to desert; to disappoint one's expectations.
  6. To receive one or more non-passing grades in academic pursuits.
  7. To give a student a non-passing grade in an academic endeavour.
  8. To miss attaining; to lose.
  9. To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence.
  10. To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; used with of.
  11. To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.
  12. To deteriorate in respect to vigour, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker.
noun
  1. A failure, especially of a financial transaction (a termination of an action).
  2. A failing grade in an academic examination.
  3. A failure (something incapable of success).
  4. Poor quality; substandard workmanship.
adj
  1. Unsuccessful; inadequate; unacceptable in some way.
noun
  1. A piece of turf cut from grassland.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

fāl /feɪl/ en-us-fail.ogg /fel/ /fɛl/ /fɛjl/

Word forms

fail fails failing failed no-table-tags glossary failest failedst faileth faile fayle more fail most fail feal

Etymology

Etymology tree Classical Latin fallere Vulgar Latin *fallīre Old French falirbor. Middle English failen English fail Inherited from Middle English failen, borrowed from Old French falir, from Vulgar Latin *fallire, alteration of Latin fallere (“to deceive, disappoint”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰāl- (“to lie, deceive”) or Proto-Indo-European *(s)gʷʰh₂el- (“to stumble”). Compare Alemannic German fääle (“to lack”), Cimbrian béelan, véelan (“to fail”), veln (“to be absent, missing”), Dutch falen, feilen (“to fail, miss”), German fallieren, fehlen (“to fail, miss, lack”), Danish fejle (“to fail, err”), Swedish fallera (“to fail, break, malfunction”), Spanish fallar (“to fail, miss”).

Synonyms

miscarry founder come to nought come to nothing crash and burn fall flat fall on one's face go downhill go down the toilet go to pot go to the dogs go up in flames go up in smoke die in the ass everything one touches turns to shit go to hell go to shit flunk go bomb bust conk tank

Antonyms

succeed

Related words

default fallacy false fault

Derived words

failable fail at life failback fail closed fail-deadly failer fail fast failgirl failing that fail of fail open fail out failover fail over failproof fail-safe fail safe failsoft failson fail up fail up the ladder fail upward fail upwards failure failure to prepare is preparing to fail female-fail god that failed male-fail no-fail pass-fail task failed successfully too big to fail unfail unfailable words fail someone epic fail fail dyke fail-secure fail-soft failtastic fail whale foster fail made of fail without fail fail and divot

Translations

Czech: nechat propadnout Danish: dumpe Dutch: buizen Esperanto: malsukcesigi Finnish: vioittaa Finnish: rikkoa Finnish: pysäyttää French: recaler Hungarian: megbuktat Portuguese: reprovar Romanian: strica Russian: прова́ливать Russian: провали́ть Tagalog: biguin Turkish: sınıfta bırakmak
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