fail

CEFRA2

/feɪl/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To not succeed in doing or achieving something.

  2. 02

    verb

    To stop working properly.

Examples

  • I don't want to fail my exams.

  • Many diets fail because they are boring.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /fel/
  • /fɛjl/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

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

  2. To neglect.

  3. To be unsuccessful.

More examples

In context

  • You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.

  • The report fails to take into account all the mitigating factors.

  • Throughout my life, I have always failed.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

If you do not study hard, you might blank the final exam.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

Middle English failen English fail 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”). Compare Alemannic German fääle (“to lack”), Cimbrian béelan, véelan (“to fail”), veln (“to be absent, missing”), Dutch falen, feilen (“to fail, miss”), German fallieren, fehlen (“to fail, miss, lack”), Danish fejle (“to fail, err”), Swedish fallera (“to fail, break, malfunction”), Spanish fallar (“to fail, miss”).