fail
To be unsuccessful.
Verb 4 meanings
To be unsuccessful.
“Throughout my life, I have always failed.”
Not to achieve a particular stated goal. (Usage note: The direct object of this word is usually an infinitive.)
“The truck failed to start.”
To neglect.
“The report fails to take into account all the mitigating factors.”
Of a machine, etc.: to cease to operate correctly.
“After running five minutes, the engine failed.”
Noun 3 meanings
A failure, especially of a financial transaction (a termination of an action).
A failing grade in an academic examination.
A piece of turf cut from grassland.
Etymology
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”).
Similar and opposite words
FAIL at a glance
FAIL has 4 letters and scores 7 points in Scrabble (F 4 + A 1 + I 1 + L 1) and 8 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #2,386 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with fail
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