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fail

/feɪl/verb1 syllable

Fail means: stop operating or functioning.

Synonyms for fail43

verb, as in stop operating or functioning

go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out, go, break, break down, decease, perish, exit, pass away, expire, pass
and 10 more, kick the bucket, cash in one's chips, buy the farm, conk, give-up the ghost, drop dead, pop off, choke, croak, snuff it

verb, as in judge unacceptable

flunk, bomb, flush it

verb, as in fail to get a passing grade

flunk, bomb, flush it

verb, as in fall short in what is expected

flunk, bomb, flush it

verb, as in be unsuccessful

go wrong, miscarry

verb, as in prove insufficient

run out, give out

verb, as in fail to do something; leave something undone

neglect

verb, as in disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake

betray

also used for fail

founder, come to nought, come to nothing, crash and burn, fall flat, fall on one's face, go downhill, go down the toilet, go to pot, bust, tank

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of fail

pass, succeed, manage

What does fail mean?11

verb

1

stop operating or functioning“The engine finally went”

2

judge unacceptable“The teacher failed six students”

3

fail to get a passing grade“She studied hard but failed nevertheless”

4

fall short in what is expected“She failed in her obligations as a good daughter-in-law”

5

be unsuccessful“Where do today's public schools fail?”

6

prove insufficient“The water supply for the town failed after a long drought”

7

fail to do something; leave something undone“She failed to notice that her child was no longer in his crib”

8

disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake“His sense of smell failed him this time”

9

be unable“I fail to understand your motives”

10

become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close“The toy company went bankrupt after the competition hired cheap Mexican labor”

11

deteriorate“Her health is declining”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with fail?42

two syllables

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Show 40 near rhymes
theymakewaymaydaymadetakesaygreatsamestategameplaceawaydaysnameplaycasetodaychangestatesbasedcamemakesfacegamespaywaitlatestayagegavemainplayedrespacedatebreaktakesbecame

All 42 rhymes for fail, grouped by syllable

Fail in a sentence

  • If you go on at that rate, you will surely fail.unknown
  • I thought he was going to fail the exam, but he passed after all.al_ex_an_der
  • Study hard, or you will fail the exam.sundown
  • He tried to solve the problem, only to fail.unknown
  • He studied hard, only to fail in the exam.sundown
  • He tried more than once, only to fail.unknown
  • She worked hard, only to fail the examination.unknown
  • If you don't study, you will fail the exam.CC

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of fail

as a verb

past tense
failed
present participle
failing
third-person singular
fails
past participle
failed