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1. Dictionary

   fail

   /feɪl/

   verb

   • 1. be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal: "he failed in his attempt to secure election"
   • ▪ be unsuccessful in (an examination or interview): "she failed her finals" Similar be unsuccessful innot passbe found wantingbe found deficientnot make the gradenot pass musternot come up to scratchbe rejectedinformal:flunkOpposite pass
   • ▪ (of a person or a commodity) be unable to meet the standards set by (a test of quality or eligibility): "a player has failed a drugs test"
   • ▪ judge (a candidate in an examination or test) not to have passed: "the criteria used to pass or fail the candidate"
   • 2. neglect to do something: "the firm failed to give adequate risk warnings"
   • ▪ behave in a way contrary to expectations by not doing something: "commuter chaos has again failed to materialize"
   • ▪ used to express a strong belief that something must be the case: "she cannot have failed to be aware of the situation"
   • ▪ used to indicate that something invariably happens: "such comments never failed to annoy him"
   • ▪ desert or let down (someone): "at the last moment her nerve failed her" Similar let downdisappointbreak one's promise todash someone's hopesfall short of someone's expectationsneglectdesertabandonbetraybe disloyal tobe unfaithful tobreak faith withplay someone falseinformal:do the dirty onbail onarchaic:forsakeOpposite support
   • 3. cease to work properly; break down: "a lorry whose brakes had failed" Similar break downbreakstop workingcease to functioncut outstopstallcrashgive outmalfunctionact upgo wrongdevelop a faultbe faultybe defectiveinformal:conk outgo kaputgo phutgive up the ghostgo on the blinkbe on the blinkpack upplay upOpposite workbe in working order
   • ▪ become weaker or of poorer quality: "the light began to fail" Similar fadegrow lessgrow dimdimdie awaydwindlewanedisappearvanishpeter outdissolvedeterioratedegeneratedeclinego into declinefadediminishdwindlewaneebbsinkcollapsedecayOpposite improve
   • ▪ (of rain or a crop or supply) be insufficient when needed or expected: "the drought means crops have failed" Similar be deficientbe wantingbe lackingfall shortbe insufficientbe inadequatenot come to ripenesswitherOpposite thrive
   • ▪ (of a business or a person) cease trading because of lack of funds: "he lost his savings when the store failed" Similar be unsuccessfulnot succeedlack successfall throughfall flatbreak downabortmiscarrybe defeatedsuffer defeatbe in vainbe frustratedcollapsefoundermisfirebackfirenot come up to scratchmeet with disastercome to griefcome to nothingcome to naughtmiss the markrun agroundgo astrayinformal:flopfizzle outflatlinecome a cropperbite the dustbombblow up in someone's facego down like a lead ballooncollapsecrashgo undergo bankruptbecome insolventgo into receivershipbe in the hands of the receiversgo into liquidationcease tradingcease productionbe closedbe shut downclose downbe wound upinformal:foldflopgo bustgo brokego bumpgo to the wallgo belly upOpposite succeedthrive

   noun

   • 1. a mark which is not high enough to pass an examination or test: "a fail grade"
   • 2. a mistake, failure, or instance of poor performance: informal "their customer service is a massive fail"

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old French faillir (verb), faille (noun), based on Latin fallere ‘deceive’.

   Scrabble Points: 7

   • F

     4

   • A

     1

   • I

     1

   • L

     1

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   More definitions, origin and scrabble points

2. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishFAIL | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   fail in He failed in his attempt to break the record. [ + to infinitive ] She failed to reach the Wimbledon Final this year . doomed to fail The reluctance of either side to compromise means that the talks are doomed to (= will certainly ) fail.

3. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryFAIL | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

   • Cached

   to not succeed in what you are trying to achieve or are expected to do: She moved to London in the hope of finding work as a model, but failed. This method of growing tomatoes never fails. fail in He failed in his attempt to break the record. [ + to infinitive ] She failed to reach the Wimbledon Final this year.

4. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-englishMeaning of fail – Learner’s Dictionary - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-english

   • Cached

   FAIL definition: 1. to not be successful: 2. to not do what is necessary or expected: 3. to not pass a test or an…. Learn more.

5. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishFAILURE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   failure noun (NO SUCCESS) Add to word list. B2 [ C or U ] the fact of someone or something not succeeding: complete failure The meeting was a complete failure. total failure Now she finally had to admit that the project had been a total failure. failure at I'm a bit of a failure at making (= I cannot make) cakes.

6. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishFAILED | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   not achieving wealth, popularity, or success. unsuccessful He tried for years to get his work published before accepting he was a commercially unsuccessful writer. failed She was a failed singer. frustrated He was a legendary actor, but a frustrated director.

7. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryFAILURE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

   • Cached

   the fact of not being successful. failure Failure is not an option. breakdown The complete breakdown of local infrastructure left residents without water or electricity. meltdown The markets experienced a meltdown at the news of the sale. collapse The automaker's collapse left the region's economy in tatters.

8. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishFAILING | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   FAILING definition: 1. a fault or weakness: 2. if that is not possible: 3. becoming weaker or less successful: . Learn more.

9. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryfail | definition in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

   • Cached

   fail meaning: 1. to not be successful: 2. to not do what is necessary or expected: 3. to not pass a test or an…. Learn more.

10. dictionary.cambridge.org › vi › dictionaryFAIL | Định nghĩa trong Từ điển tiếng Anh Cambridge

    dictionary.cambridge.org › vi › dictionary

    • Cached

    FAIL ý nghĩa, định nghĩa, FAIL là gì: 1. to not succeed in what you are trying to achieve or are expected to do: 2. if none of our plans…. Tìm hiểu thêm.

11. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryFAILURE | definition in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary

    dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

    • Cached

    FAILURE meaning: 1. a situation in which someone or something does not succeed: 2. someone or something that does…. Learn more.