Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
I. fail1 S2 W1 /feɪl/ BrE AmE verb
[Word Family: noun: ↑fail, ↑failure, ↑failing; adjective: ↑failed, ↑unfailing; verb: ↑fail; adverb: unfaillingly]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: faillir, from Latin fallere 'to deceive, disappoint']
1. NOT SUCCEED [intransitive] to not succeed in achieving something:
It looks likely that the peace talks will fail.
fail in
He failed in his attempt to regain the world title.
fail to do something
Doctors failed to save the girl’s life.
Millions of people have tried to quit smoking and failed miserably (=been completely unsuccessful).
his efforts to save his failing marriage
If all else fails, you may be advised to have an operation.
2. NOT DO SOMETHING [intransitive] to not do what is expected, needed, or wanted
fail to do something
The letter failed to arrive.
Firms that fail to take advantage of the new technology will go out of business.
The government are failing in their duty to protect people.
REGISTER
Fail to do something is used mainly in writing and in formal contexts. In everyday English, people usually say do not do something instead:
▪ The letter failed to arrive. ➔ The letter didn’t arrive.
3. EXAM/TEST
a) [intransitive and transitive] to not pass a test or examination:
I failed my driving test the first time I took it.
He failed maths but passed all his other subjects.
b) [transitive] to decide that someone has not passed a test or examination:
Her work was so bad that I had no choice but to fail her.
4. I fail to see/understand formal used to show that you are annoyed by something that you do not accept or understand:
I fail to see why you find it so amusing.
5. COMPANY/BUSINESS [intransitive] if a company or business fails, it is unable to continue because of a lack of money
6. MACHINE/BODY PART [intransitive] if a part of a machine or an organ in your body fails, it stops working:
The engine failed on take-off.
The hospital said that his kidneys were failing.
7. HEALTH [intransitive] if your sight, memory, health etc is failing, it is gradually getting weaker or is not as good as it was:
Failing eyesight forced him to retire early.
8. never fail to do something to do something or happen so regularly that people expect it:
My grandson never fails to phone me on my birthday.
9. your courage/will/nerve fails (you) if your courage etc fails, or if it fails you, you suddenly do not have it when you need it:
She had to leave immediately, before her courage failed her.
10. fail somebody to not do what someone has trusted you to do SYN let somebody down:
I feel I’ve failed my children by not spending more time with them.
11. CROPS [intransitive] if crops fail, they do not grow or produce food, for example because of bad weather
12. RAINS [intransitive] if the ↑rains (=a lot of rain that falls at a particular time each year) fail, they do not come when expected or it does not rain enough
⇨ words fail me at ↑word1(28)
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ fail to not succeed – used about people, plans, methods etc: The plan failed. | They failed to persuade her to change her mind. | This method never fails.
▪ go wrong if something you do goes wrong, it fails after starting well: The experiment went wrong when the chemicals combined to form a poisonous gas.
▪ not work if something does not work, it does not do what you want it to do: The drugs don’t work. | I tried to fix it with glue, but that didn’t work.
▪ be unsuccessful /ˌʌnsəkˈsesfəl◂/ to not have the result you wanted: His first attempt to get a teaching job was unsuccessful. | The search was unsuccessful.
▪ be a failure to be unsuccessful, with the result that you have wasted your efforts: The government’s 5-year plan to modernize the economy was a complete failure.
▪ backfire if a plan or action backfires, it does the opposite of what it was intended to do: His plan to get attention backfired, and instead of being promoted he lost his job.
▪ in vain if you try to do something in vain, you fail to do it: They tried in vain to save him. | All her efforts had been in vain.
II. fail2 BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: ↑fail, ↑failure, ↑failing; adjective: ↑failed, ↑unfailing; verb: ↑fail; adverb: unfaillingly]
1. without fail
a) if you do something without fail, you always do it:
Tim visits his mother every day without fail.
b) used to tell someone very firmly that they must do something:
I want that work finished by tomorrow, without fail!
2. [countable] an unsuccessful result in a test or examination OPP pass:
I got a fail in history.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
fail [fail fails failed failing] verb, noun [feɪl] [feɪl]
verb
NOT SUCCEED
1. intransitive, transitive to not be successful in achieving sth
• Many diets fail because they are boring.
• a failing school
• ~ in sth I failed in my attempt to persuade her.
• ~ to do sth She failed to get into art college.
• The song can't fail to be a hit (= definitely will be a hit).
NOT DO STH
2. intransitive to not do sth
• ~ to do sth He failed to keep the appointment.
• She never fails to email every week.
• I fail to see (= I don't understand) why you won't even give it a try.
• ~ in sth He felt he would be failing in his duty if he did not report it.
TEST/EXAM
3. transitive, intransitive to not pass a test or an exam; to decide that sb/sth has not passed a test or an exam
• ~ (sth) He failed his driving test.
• She was disqualified after failing a drugs test.
• What will you do if you fail?
• ~ sb The examiners failed over half the candidates.
Opp: pass
OF MACHINES/PARTS OF BODY
4. intransitive to stop working
• The brakes on my bike failed half way down the hill.
OF HEALTH/SIGHT
5. intransitive (especially in the progressive tenses) to become weak
• Her eyesight is failing.
• His last months in office were marred by failing health.
DISAPPOINT SB
6. transitive ~ sb to disappoint sb; to be unable to help when needed
• When he lost his job, he felt he had failed his family.
• She tried to be brave, but her courage failed her.
• (figurative) Words fail me (= I cannot express how I feel).
NOT BE ENOUGH
7. intransitive to not be enough when needed or expected
• The crops failed again last summer.
• The rains had failed and the rivers were dry.
OF COMPANY/BUSINESS
8. intransitive to be unable to continue
• Several banks failed during the recession.
Verb forms:
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French faillir (verb), faille (noun), based on Latin fallere ‘deceive’.
Thesaurus:
fail verb
1. I, T
• Opponents say it's a policy doomed to fail.
go wrong • • collapse • • break down • • backfire • • fall through • • get/go nowhere • • come to nothing • |formal founder •
Opp: succeed
a plan fails/goes wrong/backfires/falls through/comes to nothing/founders
a relationship/marriage fails/goes wrong/collapses/breaks down
talks fail/collapse/break down/fall through/founder
a project fails/collapses/falls through/founders
2. T, I
• She never fails to email every week.
forget • |formal neglect • |especially BrE, formal omit •
fail/forget/neglect/omit to do sth
completely/totally/almost/never/conveniently fail/forget to do sth
3. I, T
• He failed his driving test.
especially AmE, informal flunk •
Opp: pass
fail/flunk a/an exam/examination/test/course
Example Bank:
• I tried to cheer her up, but failed miserably.
• Others have tried and failed.
• She came up with several plans that failed spectacularly before finally achieving success.
• That joke never fails.
• The authorities have totally failed to address this problem.
• The show didn't just fail, it failed spectacularly.
• The song can't fail to be a hit.
• an enterprise that was doomed to fail from the start
• A high percentage of businesses fail because of the collapse of a major customer.
• Businesses fail because they can't pay their bills.
• I fail to see why you won't even give it a try.
• More banks failed as people rushed to withdraw their money.
• My car failed its MOT.
• Once a student has failed on a few tasks, they lose motivation.
• Opponents say it's a policy doomed to fail.
• She tried to put an all-women crew together, but failed dismally.
• The air-conditioning system failed on the hottest day of the year.
• The brakes on my bike failed halfway down the hill.
• They had tried and they had failed.
• Words fail me.
Idioms: if all else fails ▪ without fail
noun
the result of an exam in which a person is not successful
• I got three passes and one fail.
Opp: pass
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French faillir (verb), faille (noun), based on Latin fallere ‘deceive’.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
fail
fail (STOP) /feɪl/
verb [I]
1 to become weaker or stop working completely:
If my eyesight fails, I'll have to stop doing this job.
The brakes failed and the car crashed into a tree.
After talking non-stop for two hours, her voice started to fail.
The old man was failing fast (= He was dying).
2 If a business fails, it is unable to continue because of money problems.
failing /ˈfeɪ.lɪŋ/
adjective
becoming weaker or less successful:
a failing business
failing eyesight
In the failing light, it was hard to read the signposts.
See also failing (WEAKNESS), failing (WITHOUT).
failure /ˈfei.ljəʳ/ US /-ljɚ/
noun [C or U]
when something does not work, or stops working as well as it should:
He died of heart/liver failure.
The accident was caused by the failure of the reactor's cooling system.
The number of business failures rose steeply last year.
After three crop failures in a row, the people face starvation.
See also failure at fail (NOT SUCCEED), fail (NOT DO).
fail (EXAMINATION) /feɪl/
verb [I or T]
to be unsuccessful, or to judge that someone has been unsuccessful in a test or examination:
I passed in history but failed in chemistry.
A lot of people fail their driving test the first time.
The examiners failed him because he hadn't answered enough questions.
fail /feɪl/
noun [C]
an unsuccessful result in a course, test or examination:
John got three passes and four fails in his exams.
fail (NOT HELP) /feɪl/
verb [T]
to not help someone when they expected you to:
He failed her when she most needed him.
When I looked down and saw how far I had to jump, my courage failed me (= I felt very frightened).
fail (NOT DO) /feɪl/
verb [I]
to not do something which you should do:
[+ to infinitive] He failed to arrive on time.
The club had been promised a grant from the council, but the money failed to (= did not) materialize.
You couldn't fail to be (= It is impossible that you would not be) affected by the film.
I'd be failing in my duty if I didn't tell you about the risks involved in the project.
failure /ˈfeɪ.ljəʳ/ US /-ljɚ/
noun [U + to infinitive]
when you do not do something that you must do or are expected to do:
His failure to return her phone call told her that something was wrong.
Failure to keep the chemical at the right temperature could lead to an explosion.
See also failure at fail (NOT SUCCEED), fail (STOP).
fail (NOT SUCCEED) /feɪl/
verb [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.
He failed in his attempt to break the record.
[+ to infinitive] She failed to reach the Wimbledon Final this year.
The reluctance of either side to compromise means that the talks are doomed to (= will certainly) fail.
failed /feɪld/
adjective [before noun]
having not succeeded:
a failed actress/writer
She has two failed marriages behind her.
failure /ˈfeɪ.ljəʳ/ US /-ljɚ/
noun [C or U]
when someone or something does not succeed:
The meeting was a complete/total failure.
I'm a bit of a failure at making (= I cannot make) cakes.
I feel such a failure (= so unsuccessful).
Their attempt to climb the Eiger ended in failure.
The whole project was doomed to failure right from the start (= It could never have succeeded).
See also failure at fail (NOT DO), fail (STOP).
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
fail
[fe͟ɪl]
♦
fails, failing, failed
1) VERB If you fail to do something that you were trying to do, you are unable to do it or do not succeed in doing it.
[V to-inf] The Workers' Party failed to win a single governorship...
[V in n] He failed in his attempt to take control of the company...
Many of us have tried to lose weight and failed miserably...
[V-ed] The truth is, I'm a failed comedy writer really.
Ant:
succeed
2) VERB If an activity, attempt, or plan fails, it is not successful.
We tried to develop plans for them to get along, which all failed miserably...
He was afraid the revolution they had started would fail...
[V-ed] After a failed military offensive, all government troops and police were withdrawn from the island.
Ant:
succeed
3) VERB If someone or something fails to do a particular thing that they should have done, they do not do it. [FORMAL]
[V to-inf] Some schools fail to set any homework...
[V to-inf] He failed to file tax returns for 1982...
[V to-inf] The bomb failed to explode.
4) VERB If something fails, it stops working properly, or does not do what it is supposed to do.
The lights mysteriously failed, and we stumbled around in complete darkness...
In fact many food crops failed because of the drought.
5) VERB If a business, organization, or system fails, it becomes unable to continue in operation or in existence.
So far this year, 104 banks have failed.
[V-ed] ...a failed hotel business...
[V-ing] Who wants to buy a computer from a failing company?
6) VERB If something such as your health or a physical quality is failing, it is becoming gradually weaker or less effective.
He was 58, and his health was failing rapidly...
Here in the hills, the light failed more quickly...
[V-ing] An apparently failing memory is damaging for a national leader.
7) VERB If someone fails you, they do not do what you had expected or trusted them to do.
[V n] We waited twenty-one years, don't fail us now.
[V n] ...communities who feel that the political system has failed them.
8) VERB If someone fails in their duty or fails in their responsibilities, they do not do everything that they have a duty or a responsibility to do.
[V in n] Lawyers are accused of failing in their duties to advise clients of their rights...
[V in n] If we did not report what was happening in the country, we would be failing in our duty.
9) VERB If a quality or ability that you have fails you, or if it fails, it is not good enough in a particular situation to enable you to do what you want to do.
[V n] For once, the artist's fertile imagination failed him...
Their courage failed a few steps short and they came running back.
10) VERB If someone fails a test, examination, or course, they perform badly in it and do not reach the standard that is required.
[V n] I lived in fear of failing my end-of-term exams.
Ant:
pass
N-COUNT
Fail is also a noun. It's the difference between a pass and a fail.
11) VERB If someone fails you in a test, examination, or course, they judge that you have not reached a high enough standard in it.
[V n] ...the two men who had failed him during his first year of law school.
Ant:
pass
12) PHRASE: PHR with cl You say if all else fails to suggest what could be done in a certain situation if all the other things you have tried are unsuccessful.
If all else fails, I could always drive a truck.
13) PHRASE: PHR wh You can use I fail to see or I fail to understand in order to introduce a statement which indicates that you do not agree with what someone has said or done. [FORMAL]
That's how it was in my day and I fail to see why it should be different now.
14) PHRASE: PHR with cl (emphasis) You use without fail to emphasize that something always happens.
He attended every meeting without fail.
Syn:
without exception
15) PHRASE: PHR with cl (emphasis) You use without fail to emphasize an order or a promise.
On the 30th you must without fail hand in some money for Alex...
Tomorrow without fail he would be at the old riverside warehouse.