Definition:
- (v. i.) To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence; to cease to be furnished in the usual or expected manner, or to be altogether cut off from supply; to be lacking; as, streams fail; crops fail.
- (v. i.) To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; -- used with of.
- (v. i.) To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.
- (v. i.) To deteriorate in respect to vigor, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker; as, a sick man fails.
- (v. i.) To perish; to die; -- used of a person.
- (v. i.) To be found wanting with respect to an action or a duty to be performed, a result to be secured, etc.; to miss; not to fulfill expectation.
- (v. i.) To come short of a result or object aimed at or desired ; to be baffled or frusrated.
- (v. i.) To err in judgment; to be mistaken.
- (v. i.) 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.
- (v. t.) To be wanting to ; to be insufficient for; to disappoint; to desert.
- (v. t.) To miss of attaining; to lose.
- (v. i.) Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; -- mostly superseded by failure or failing, except in the phrase without fail.
- (v. i.) Death; decease.
Compare fail with other words:
descend vs. fail
fail vs. kail
fail vs. farl
fail vs. flail
fail vs. wail
fail vs. fain
bail vs. fail
fail vs. vail
fail vs. jail
fail vs. hail
fail vs. fair
fail vs. sail
fail vs. nail
fail vs. mail
fail vs. pail
fail vs. fil
fail vs. tail
fail vs. rail
ail vs. fail
fail vs. lack
defeat vs. fail
down vs. fail
fail vs. fell
fail vs. stop
fail vs. sale
fail vs. mischief
fail vs. manage
fail vs. failed
fail vs. sort
fail vs. loose
fail vs. forget
burn vs. fail
fail vs. misregard
fail vs. misken
fail vs. loss
fail vs. lapse
absent vs. fail
fail vs. muss
fail vs. fall
fail vs. fault
fail vs. plummet
fail vs. speed
fail vs. pass
fail vs. foil
fail vs. overload
awesome vs. fail
disaccord vs. fail
fail vs. miscarry
fail vs. flunk
fail vs. literal
fail vs. shoot
fail vs. foiled
fail vs. renounce
fail vs. welch
contravene vs. fail
exceed vs. fail
fail vs. surely
fail vs. fallible
fail vs. fallacious
fail vs. thwart
fail vs. loser
fail vs. miss
fail vs. fallacy
fail vs. frail
fail vs. flop
fail vs. truck
fail vs. transaction
examination vs. fail
fail vs. financial
fail vs. failure
fail vs. succeed
academic vs. fail
endeavour vs. fail
fail vs. grade
fail vs. passing
desert vs. fail
disappoint vs. fail
fail vs. insufficient
fail vs. wanting
fail vs. operate
cease vs. fail
fail vs. neglect
fail vs. goal
achieve vs. fail
fail vs. unsuccessful
fail vs. secure
fail vs. tank
break vs. fail
fail vs. lose
bomb vs. fail
fail vs. win
abort vs. fail
abate vs. fail