fail

noun

A failure, especially of a financial transaction (a termination of an action).

A failing grade in an academic examination.

(slang, US) A failure (something incapable of success).

(uncountable, slang) Poor quality; substandard workmanship.

A piece of turf cut from grassland.

A surname.

verb

(intransitive) To be unsuccessful.

(transitive) Not to achieve a particular stated goal. (Usage note: The direct object of this word is usually an infinitive.)

(transitive) To neglect.

(intransitive) Of a machine, etc.: to cease to operate correctly.

(transitive) To be wanting to, to be insufficient for, to disappoint, to desert; to disappoint one's expectations.

(ambitransitive) To receive one or more non-passing grades in academic pursuits.

(transitive) To give a student a non-passing grade in an academic endeavour.

To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence.

To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent.

(transitive, obsolete) To miss attaining; to lose.

(archaic) To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; used with of.

(archaic) To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.

(archaic) To deteriorate in respect to vigour, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker.

(obsolete) To perish; to die; used of a person.

(obsolete) To err in judgment; to be mistaken.

adjective

(slang, US) Unsuccessful; inadequate; unacceptable in some way.

Roots

fallerefail- · Latin · deceive, fail

Synonyms for fail

flunkv miscarryv neglectn diev succeedv disappointv misfiren falterv flopn breakv missv

Synonyms & related words for fail

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of fail — including flunk, miscarry, neglect, die, succeed, disappoint. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to fail

Explore words related to fail — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include failure, nonsuccess, doomed, nonfulfillment, unsuccessful, miserably, underachieve, betray. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for fail

Common synonyms for fail include flunk, miscarry, neglect, die, succeed, disappoint, misfire, falter — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does fail come from?

The word fail breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root fail-, from Latin fallere (“deceive, fail”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.