Definition of fail - WordReference.com Dictionary

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fail:

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Adapted From: WordNet 2.0 Copyright 2003 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

fail
A	verb
	1	fail
			get worse; "Her health is declining"
		Category Tree: change ╚change state; turn ╚worsen; decline ╚fail
	2	fail, go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out, go, break, break down
			stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident"
		Category Tree: change ╚fail, go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out, go, break, break down ╚malfunction; misfunction ╚misfire ╚blow out; burn out; blow ╚crash; go down
	3	fail, run out, give out
			prove insufficient; "The water supply for the town failed after a long drought"

	4	fail, betray
			disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake; "His sense of smell failed him this time"; "His strength finally failed him"; "His children failed him in the crisis"
		Category Tree: prevent; forestall; foreclose; preclude; forbid ╚thwart; queer; spoil; scotch; foil; cross; frustrate; baffle; bilk ╚disappoint; let down ╚fail, betray
	5	fail
			become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close; "The toy company went bankrupt after the competition hired cheap Mexican labor"; "A number of banks failed that year"

	6	fail
			fall short in what is expected; "She failed in her obligations as a good daughter-in-law"; "We must not fail his obligation to the victims of the Holocaust"

	7	fail, flunk, bomb, flush it
			fail to get a passing grade; "She studied hard but failed nevertheless"; "Did I fail the test?"

	8	fail
			judge unacceptable; "The teacher failed six students"
		Category Tree: think; cogitate; cerebrate ╚judge ╚fail
	9	fail, go wrong, miscarry
			be unsuccessful; "Where do today's public schools fail?"; "The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably"

	10	fail, neglect
			fail to do something; leave something undone; "She failed to notice that her child was no longer in his crib"; "The secretary failed to call the customer and the company lost the account"

	11	fail
			be unable; "I fail to understand your motives"

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Forum discussions with the word(s) 'fail' in the title:

Subjunctive: might? If we don't know the solutions, we might fail in exam.
Fail (in) an interview
"fail to compete"??
Fail an exam ...
Difference between 'fail' and 'fail in'
you may think you are good enough, but you fail to realize that you could be better
fail to seduce
Doom to fail
Miss/fail
The fail of / The failure of
flunk/fail
"application fail-over" (computer terminology)
Fail
Fail though I did...
such famine will arise through floods and foul weather that fruit shall fail
pass, fail and (pending?)
Paul didn't deserve to fail
here let him learn compasion for those who fail
Falter Vs Fail??
fail/literary translation
Unless working harder, you will surely fail in the exam.
Elapse/ go past/ fail or fade?
fail up?
some organisations fail whilst other succeed
fail at accounting for
to fail somebody
without fail
what does this "fail" mean
fail to meet the requirement
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