fail
1. fail to do something;
leave something undone (Freq. 66)
- 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
• Syn:
neglect
• Derivationally related forms:
neglect (for: neglect), failure
• Hyponyms:
lose track, strike out, default, default on, choke,
muff, miss
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE
2. be unsuccessful (Freq. 33)
- Where do today's public schools fail?
- The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably
• Syn:
go wrong, miscarry
• Ant:
succeed
• Derivationally related forms:
miscarriage (for: miscarry), failure
• Hyponyms:
take it on the chin, miss, overreach, botch, bodge,
bumble, fumble, botch up, muff, blow, flub,
screw up, ball up, spoil, muck up, bungle, fluff,
bollix, bollix up, bollocks, bollocks up, bobble, mishandle,
louse up, foul up, mess up, fuck up, strike out, fall,
shipwreck, fall through, fall flat, founder, flop
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s
- Somebody ----s
- Something is ----ing PP
- Somebody ----s PP
3. disappoint, prove undependable to;
abandon, forsake (Freq. 5)
- His sense of smell failed him this time
- His strength finally failed him
- His children failed him in the crisis
• Syn:
betray
• Hypernyms:
disappoint, let down
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s somebody
- Something ----s somebody
4. stop operating or functioning (Freq. 3)
- 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
• Syn:
go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out,
go, break, break down
• Derivationally related forms:
breakdown (for: break down), breakable (for: break), failure
• Hypernyms:
change
• Hyponyms:
crash, go down, blow out, burn out, blow,
misfire, malfunction, misfunction
• Verb Group:
die, decease, perish, go, exit,
pass away, expire, pass, kick the bucket, cash in one's chips, buy the farm,
conk, give-up the ghost, drop dead, pop off, choke, croak,
snuff it, break
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s
- These cars won't fail
5. be unable (Freq. 1)
- I fail to understand your motives
• Ant:
manage
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE
6. judge unacceptable
- The teacher failed six students
• Ant:
pass
• Derivationally related forms:
failing
• Hypernyms:
evaluate, pass judgment, judge
• Verb Group:
flunk, bomb, flush it
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s somebody
7. fail to get a passing grade
- She studied hard but failed nevertheless
- Did I fail the test?
• Syn:
flunk, bomb, flush it
• Ant:
pass
• Derivationally related forms:
bomb (for: bomb), failing
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s
- Somebody ----s something
8. 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
• Derivationally related forms:
failure, failing
• Verb Group:
flunk, bomb, flush it
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Somebody ----s PP
9. 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
• Derivationally related forms:
failure
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s
- Somebody ----s
10. prove insufficient
- The water supply for the town failed after a long drought
• Syn:
run out, give out
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s
11. get worse
- Her health is declining
• Hypernyms:
worsen, decline
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s
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