Synonyms of fail

Verb

1. fail, neglect

usage: fail to do something; leave something undone; "She failed to notice that her child was no longer in his crib"; "The secretary failed to call the customer and the company lost the account"

2. fail, go wrong, miscarry

usage: be unsuccessful; "Where do today's public schools fail?"; "The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably"

3. fail, betray, disappoint, let down

usage: disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake; "His sense of smell failed him this time"; "His strength finally failed him"; "His children failed him in the crisis"

4. fail, go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out, go, break, break down, change

usage: stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident"

5. fail

usage: be unable; "I fail to understand your motives"

6. fail, evaluate, pass judgment, judge

usage: judge unacceptable; "The teacher failed six students"

7. fail, flunk, bomb, flush it

usage: fail to get a passing grade; "She studied hard but failed nevertheless"; "Did I fail the test?"

8. fail

usage: fall short in what is expected; "She failed in her obligations as a good daughter-in-law"; "We must not fail his obligation to the victims of the Holocaust"

9. fail

usage: become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close; "The toy company went bankrupt after the competition hired cheap Mexican labor"; "A number of banks failed that year"

10. fail, run out, give out

usage: prove insufficient; "The water supply for the town failed after a long drought"

11. fail, worsen, decline

usage: get worse; "Her health is declining"

Definition and meaning of fail (Dictionary)