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1. Dictionary

   fail

   /fāl/

   verb

   • 1. be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal: "he failed in his attempt to secure election"
   • ▪ be unsuccessful in (an examination, test, 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): "the player has failed a drug test"
   • ▪ judge (someone, especially in an examination) 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 hopes or expectations by not doing something: "commuter chaos has again failed to materialize"
   • ▪ used to express a strong belief that something must be the case: "you cannot fail to be deeply impressed"
   • ▪ 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. break down; cease to work well: "a truck 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; die away: "the light began to fail" Similar fadegrow lessgrow dimdimdie awaydwindlewanedisappearvanishpeter outdissolvedeterioratedegeneratedeclinego into declinefadediminishdwindlewaneebbsinkcollapsedecayOpposite improve
   • ▪ (especially of a rain or a crop or supply) be lacking or 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) be obliged to cease trading because of lack of funds; become bankrupt: "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 grade that is not high enough to pass an examination or test.

   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 verb (NOT SUCCEED) Add to word list. B2 [ I ] 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.

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 › 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

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

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   used to show what will happen if something is not possible or available: She will very likely be the next president of the company, or failing that, the marketing director. (Definition of failing from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

9. 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.

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

    dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

    • Cached

    FAIL-SAFE definition: 1. very unlikely to fail: 2. If something is fail-safe, it has been designed so that if one part…. Learn more.

11. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-englishMeaning of failure – Learner’s Dictionary - Cambridge Dictionary

    dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-english

    • Cached

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