1Be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal.

1. 1.1with object Be unsuccessful in (an examination or interview)
   she failed her finals

   Example sentencesExamples

   • If he is failing because of a lack of ability they can help him to accept his limitations and focus on his strengths.
   • He was struck by how one woman utterly failed the test.
   • Youths in trouble with the law and students in danger of failing school also are eligible for the organization's programs.
   • However, the momentary setback of failing that exam delays Dan just enough to miss the plane.
   • I fail these exams, and it is by no means an easy out.
   • The day ended with me failing the exam despite me reaching there on time.

   Synonyms

   be unsuccessful in, not pass

   be found wanting, be found deficient, not make the grade, not pass muster, not come up to scratch, be rejected

   informal flunk
2. 1.2with object (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

   Example sentencesExamples

   • However, the experiment failed in a major way, and the camera wanders all over the place.
   • Steven Watkinson makes some good points about the difficulty of making good policy, but the government's boat people policy fails all the tests, both moral and practical.
   • And that is where The Science of Romance ultimately fails the test as an evolutionary explanation.
   • Their relationship is tested, fails, and rebuilds several times over thirteen episodes.
   • Face-scanning in airports - catching terrorists as they walk by - fails miserably in tests.
   • The rules require the title to revert to the original champion if a triumphant challenger fails of a doping test.
   • He has failed on both occasions, and he has deliberately defied your ruling.
   • The photo passes tests of symmetry that the painted chandelier fails, Stork says.
   • She did not fail for lack of sincere, honest, hard-working effort.
3. 1.3with object Judge (a candidate in an examination or test) not to have passed.
   the criteria used to pass or fail the candidate

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Some Inspectors were stricter than others and failed children who might have passed in another district.

2Neglect to do something.

1. 2.1with infinitive Behave in a way contrary to expectations by not doing something.
   commuter chaos has again failed to materialize

   Example sentencesExamples

   • This either means analysts were too optimistic in their expectations, or companies failed to live up to such demanding goals.
   • Sadly they were understaffed, swamped by the number of calls they received, and the initiative misfired - raising expectations but failing to deliver on them.
   • We don't know - I don't want to create expectations and then fail to deliver on our promises.
   • ‘When the income rate and working conditions fail to meet their expectations, many choose to give up,’ Yan said.
   • The bank also predicts a sharp deterioration in the public finances as growth and tax revenues fail to meet government expectations.
   • When the supposedly expected guffaws fail to materialize, Martin feigns puzzlement.
   • Promises made by the government have also failed to materialise.
   • He found work in Nepal but it dried up when a building contract failed to materialise.
   • So often we anxiously anticipate certain releases only to find ourselves disappointed when they fail to match our expectations.
   • And yet the professionals have not been playing to expectation, sometimes failing to beat the second round cut when amateurs recorded better scores.
   • The progress of the boys is monitored for about a year, and if they fail to live up to expectations, they are dropped for the following year.
   • Here we assess who lived up to expectations - and who failed to rise to the occasion.
   • If they fail to meet those expectations they will find that the climate for coming back for more will be very different.
   • Contrary to the expectations, the film failed to click at the box office.
   • Such zero-damage expectations themselves risk creating a feeling of defeatism when the expectations understandably fail to come true.
   • I defined failure earlier in terms of disappointed expectations and suggested that Saleem fails to fulfill the expectations he creates for himself.
   • Sometimes, however, he fails to meet those expectations.
   • Sometimes, eagerly anticipated musical encounters fail to meet expectations, but when these titans of the tenor sax got together in 1957, the results were stunning.
   • The company, which failed to meet profit expectations, also said it would temporarily idle more plants.
   • Yet by failing to meet expectations of a radical cabinet rehaul, he may yet be confronted by unruly backbenchers.
2. 2.2cannot fail to be/do something Used to express a strong belief that something must be the case.
   she cannot have failed to be aware of the situation

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Nigel Blundell reports on what couldn't fail to be an amusing evening for all concerned
   • ‘We cannot fail to observe that what was impossible on the Thursday could be accomplished in an emergency meeting on the Sunday,’ said Patterson.
   • Anyone who knows how to buy clothes couldn't fail to love Jo's accessories.
   • What we couldn't fail to hear was the sound of the blood beating through the umbilical cord.
   • You couldn't fail to lose weight being given cold scrambled egg to reheat - a snip at $35 a day.
   • Indeed, yesterday's opening stage was over a course that couldn't fail to inspire, just as it exhausted the riders.
   • ‘He was a truculent and feisty character who you couldn't fail to admire and I believe those wartime experiences took a toll on his health in later years,’ said Mr Brennen.
   • If you watched the film Billy Elliot on Easter Monday, you couldn't fail to be moved by the story of a young northern boy who left his mining town roots and became an acclaimed dancer in London.
   • The listener couldn't fail to be impressed by the depth and breadth of Morton's knowledge, and the sincerity of his views.
   • Having turned 20 earlier this month, and until now having limited his training to three days a week, he cannot fail to get stronger.
   • Mr Perks said: ‘The huge scale of the locomotive building business cannot fail to impress.’
   • I couldn't fail to achieve my goal after coming so far.
   • The cedar has gone, the gold and jewels have been pillaged, the paint faded, statues broken, brocade lost but it is the very scale of the ruins which cannot fail to move and impress the visitor.
   • But you couldn't fail to be a little shocked by the volume and pitch of the invective directed our way.
   • The first mouthful was like an enormous punch of cherry flavours, and with the high alcohol level, you couldn't fail to be reminded of black forest gateau.
   • And if one has that belief, one cannot fail to be moved by what has happened already.
   • I think he's a man of great integrity, a man who values his reputation and he couldn't fail to be absolutely devastated by what had happened to him.
   • And given the setting of a light and airy former mill house, the overall package was one that couldn't fail to impress.
   • Although you cannot fail to notice a solar eclipse because the Moon, being about the same apparent size as the Sun, blocks out the light, the Transit of Venus is more difficult to observe.
   • With such a welcome, the Roses couldn't fail to be enthused by the enormous greeting that awaited them and what their visit lacked as regards time, was compensated for in the warm welcome received.
3. 2.3never fail to do something Used to indicate that something invariably happens.
   such comments never failed to annoy him

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The Dakotas never failed to support soldiers and always accomplished their mission.
   • The event never fails to captivate the excitement of the children, who always eagerly looked forward to it.
   • The girl he had helped off the streets still never failed to fascinate him, and he always enjoyed her company.
   • It never fails to bring a smile and always arouses the interest of the discerning observer.
   • But it never fails to amaze me that there is always something to see, something to discover.
   • I mean, her bob is always so perfectly fixed and thus never fails to look stylish on her.
   • He always had some happy rock music blaring and it never failed to put Lissie in a good mood.
   • But here they were, always there for him when he needed them and never failing to make him smile when he was feeling low or supporting him in one way or another.
   • Even when grievously ill, he never failed to meet a deadline, never failed to deliver.
   • She had always expected the best from Nile, so she never failed to be disappointed by a missed question or two on a test.
   • Though the award isn't given until December, the unveiling of the nominees never fails to kick-start controversy.
   • He was a listener, he had always been a listener, and he never failed to hear her out.
   • He never failed to cheer her up and for some reason, he always understood her.
   • You know, our children don't always listen to us, but they never fail to imitate us.
   • Louise was annoying sometimes, but never failed to get a smile on Katrina's face.
   • Thanks Lou and Jennifer for the lovely comments you never fail to leave on my posts.
   • I never took part but always watched and it never failed to impress me.
   • It never fails to amaze me that after all the arrangements, the planning, the tears and the fights, every wedding works out perfectly.
   • Mmm, it was comments like those that never failed to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
   • Combining a fluid technique with a wonderful imagination, Greg never fails to deliver heartfelt music.
4. 2.4with object Desert or let down (someone)
   at the last moment her nerve failed her

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Her convent education fails her in her moment of greatest need, though it does enable her to retrace her steps down an older path with new eyes.
   • He tried to think of something to say, but words failed him at the moment.
   • This latest attempt to make the long-term care system fairer arises as evidence grows that it is failing many people.
   • For a moment all his senses failed him then slowly came back as his healing ability kicked in.
   • Any semblance of nerve failed him, and for the second time in his life, Sakki Ryu ran from a fight.
   • They among the 70-strong gathering who came to hear Abbott discuss how modern society is failing its young people, in particular, adolescents.
   • They simply couldn't bear to fail their parents by admitting that they'd made a mistake.
   • Words often failed him, his memory sometimes betrayed him, but his vision was large and clear.
   • Or who would desert his beloved or fail him in the hour of danger?
   • We've got our education failing indigenous people.
   • After a good fifteen minutes, she finally turned to go, her nerves failing her.
   • I tried to communicate to him that he was wrong, that there was evidence that he was wrong, but at that crucial moment I failed him.
   • For some reason, however, his nerve failed him and he never made the attack.
   • Plus, it would be failing the people who donated the books to sell them for less than they were really worth.
   • His first intimation that his nerves are failing him occurs while he is out jogging in the Catholic cemetery.
   • I don't want to fail my parents because I know they've been working hard for the family to make enough money for us to buy each other birthday and Christmas presents.
   • The group claims current laws are failing children and fathers and wants better parenting rights for fathers.
   • When Henry finally got the chance to sprint towards goal just after the half-hour, his nerve failed him.
   • According to Dr Kilkelly, the Children's Court system is failing many young people and causing them to enter an endless cycle of offending.
   • His mouth opened to speak, his mind had a thousand things to say, but his throat failed him on that moment.

   Synonyms

   let down, disappoint, break one's promise to, dash someone's hopes, fall short of someone's expectations

   neglect, desert, abandon

   betray, be disloyal to, be unfaithful to, break faith with, play someone false

   informal do the dirty on

   North American informal bail on

   archaic forsake

3Cease to work properly; break down.

1. 3.1 Become weaker or of poorer quality.
   the light began to fail

   his failing health

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Another case against Ivol was abandoned last year after her health began to fail and she died in September last year.
   • Towards the end of the afternoon, as the light began to fail, the first of several squadrons of wild geese came flying over the house on their way to the fields where they spend their nights.
   • Michael's health began to fail about two years ago and it deteriorated seriously from which he did not really recover.
   • Mavis's health first began to fail in January and in March she was diagnosed with mesothelioma.
   • In 1944 her health began to fail, and she was hospitalized the following year.
   • He worked until earlier this year, when his health began to fail.
   • His health began to fail, and he retired to the Pyrenees, where he convalesced until his health improved.
   • The light was beginning to fail as it got later, and the street was less crowded than it had been earlier.
   • In the last years his health began to fail but Johnnie held on bravely to the last and did not complain.
   • By 1885 John Orme's health had begun to fail, and he found it necessary to resign his preaching duties.
   • Years later, when her health began to fail, it was here that she wanted to spend her last days.
   • However, his health began to fail in May of 1932 when he suffered heart problems.
   • We happened to be there just before his health began to fail rapidly.
   • When her health began to fail she moved to a residential home in Whitley Bay, where she died eight weeks later.
   • In latter years, although his health was beginning to fail, he still enjoyed the company of friends and neighbours and had a big interest in the local football team.
   • In 2004, his health began to fail, but given his strong unyielding spirit he continued his work as long as was practical.
   • Although his health was beginning to fail, he still had that enthusiasm I first felt so many years earlier, and I became inspired by it all over again.
   • On that occasion he did not enjoy the mobility of previous years as his health had begun to fail.
   • When his health began to fail, the family auctioned off the game collection to pay for the medical bills that he had accrued during a long illness.
   • The two women became friends, and when Jackson's health began to fail, she left her unfinished manuscript in Lotty's hands with instructions about how it was to be arranged.

   Synonyms

   fade, grow less, grow dim, dim, die away, dwindle, wane, disappear, vanish, peter out, dissolve

   deteriorate, degenerate, decline, go into decline, fade, diminish, dwindle, wane, ebb, sink, collapse, decay
2. 3.2 (of rain or a crop or supply) be insufficient when needed or expected.
   the drought means crops have failed

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Even though it was scary when four out of five main power lines were down and we thought the water supply might fail, a straight drama about those events would have been painful.
   • One crop might fail, but another will survive - there are heartbreaks here too, but no single moment of crisis, as with a monocultural cash crop.
   • A lot of them grow their own maize, but if that year's crop fails they've got no food.
   • But although conditions are basic and power supplies sometimes fail, pitching the mess tent into darkness, no one is complaining too much.
   • But once again this year the rains have failed, and the crops are scorched and wilted.
   • As foot and mouth sweeps the land and crops fail because of the disastrous growing season, farmers must be wondering where the next disaster will come from.
   • This year's maize crop is expected to fail, worsening already serious food shortages.
   • Women are giving birth to dead babies, the crops are failing, the rain isn't falling, there are blights and there are plagues.
   • The Northumbrian water supply failed during Christmas 1995 when the main pipes froze.
   • Here in northern Afghanistan, for the first time in four years, the rains didn't fail, and these farmers are now reaping the benefits.
   • Even as we speak, what worries us is the fact that our crop is failing because of the rains, because of the drought, and we are not the only ones who are hit with it.
   • Agriculture in Africa is rain-fed, and when those rains fail so do the crops, exacerbating food insecurity.
   • In Northland though if one crop fails, the next is right there, almost ready.
   • Last year's crop failed because of too much rain; this year there is too little.
   • Outside, the parched soil has turned to dust and his crops have failed disastrously.
   • Several southern African countries face famine because crops have failed as a result of drought or flooding or both.
   • If the rains fail or someone falls ill, they have to sell what little they have - perhaps a pig or a goat - to buy medicines.
   • It is an agricultural and market town but the crops have failed for each of the last two years.
   • Dr John Harrison, a climate expert from the University of Stirling, says crops will fail before the land is flooded as salt impregnates the soil.
   • For myself, I had an ambitious plan to grow corn, but the crop failed.

   Synonyms

   be deficient, be wanting, be lacking, fall short, be insufficient, be inadequate

   not come to ripeness, wither
3. 3.3 (of a business or a person) cease trading because of lack of funds.
   he lost his savings when the store failed

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Well, better that than the business failing altogether, is the obvious riposte.
   • Rupert's business was failing, so his motive for co-operating with the FBI was at first financial.
   • There are three things to worry about if your law firm fails.
   • Not only is Gordon's business failing, but he and his wife have a baby girl who won't stop crying - so he's delirious from sleep deprivation and guilt.
   • If, however, the business is failing and the asset base is being gradually eroded, an early decision may leave some capital for reinvestment.
   • This could lead to a rash of negative reports from any auditor whose business is failing.
   • Firms fail - no one can legislate away investor risk.
   • Blair Nimmo: ‘Throughout 2003 we have seen a marked reduction in the number of Scottish businesses failing,’.
   • In the short term, however, some jobs would likely be lost as firms fail or restructure in the face of increased competition.
   • Considerable jockeying for position takes place as the companies' battle each other in the market place for survival, with the weaker firms failing and dropping out.
   • A picture of a tough home life emerged, with her ex-military father's business ventures failing and Mills admitting she was forced to steal food.
   • How many countries do you know that will let a business employing 17,000 people fail?
   • Akwaake said it has been noted that many new businesses fail because of the lack of mentoring.
   • Yet, businesses fail because of a lack of knowledge, money, and support.
   • I will not stand by and watch American businesses fail because of unfair trading practices abroad.
   • I think in India it is still an issue of economics and you have to worry about the future, and if your business fails, your entire clan is affected and is sorrowful and that puts additional pressure.
   • More than a few businesses have failed because of lack of proper planning for capital and cash flow needs.
   • His business ventures failed, and his offers to fight in the Napoleonic wars were refused.
   • When firms fail, there rarely is any reason for taxpayers to pick up the tab.

   Synonyms

   be unsuccessful, not succeed, lack success, fall through, fall flat, break down, abort, miscarry, be defeated, suffer defeat, be in vain, be frustrated, collapse, founder, misfire, backfire, not come up to scratch, meet with disaster, come to grief, come to nothing, come to naught, miss the mark, run aground, go astray

   informal flop, fizzle out, flatline, come a cropper, bite the dust, bomb, blow up in someone's face, go down like a lead balloon

   collapse, crash, go under, go bankrupt, become insolvent, go into receivership, be in the hands of the receivers, go into liquidation, cease trading, cease production, be closed, be shut down, close down, be wound up

   informal fold, flop, go bust, go broke, go bump, go to the wall, go belly up

1A mark which is not high enough to pass an examination or test.

2informal A mistake, failure, or instance of poor performance.