Analysis Complete

fail

/ fail /
verb

Definitions & Examples

verb Sense 1
get worse
"Her health is declining"
Type of:
worsen decline
Usage Patterns:
Somebody ----s
verb Sense 2
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"
Kinds of:
strike out default default on choke muff
Derived:
negligence neglect neglectfulness failure
Usage Patterns:
Something is ----ing PP
verb Sense 3
be unsuccessful
"Where do today''s public schools fail?"
"The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably"
Opposites:
succeed win come through bring home the bacon deliver the goods
Kinds of:
take it on the chin miss overreach botch bumble
Derived:
miscarriage abortion failure loser nonstarter
Usage Patterns:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s something with something
verb Sense 4
judge unacceptable
"The teacher failed six students"
Opposites:
pass
Type of:
judge
Derived:
failing
Verb group:
flunk bomb flush it
Usage Patterns:
Somebody ----s something with something
verb Sense 5
fail to get a passing grade
"She studied hard but failed nevertheless"
"Did I fail the test?"
Opposites:
pass make it
Derived:
turkey bomb dud failing
Usage Patterns:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something
verb Sense 6
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"
Derived:
failure failing weakness
Verb group:
flunk bomb flush it
Usage Patterns:
Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something
Somebody ----s something with something
verb Sense 7
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"
Derived:
bankruptcy failure
Usage Patterns:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
verb Sense 8
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"
Type of:
disappoint let down
Usage Patterns:
Somebody ----s something with something
Somebody ----s on something
verb Sense 9
prove insufficient
"The water supply for the town failed after a long drought"
Usage Patterns:
Somebody ----s
verb Sense 10
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"
Type of:
change
Kinds of:
crash go down blow out burn out blow
Derived:
breakdown equipment failure failure
Verb group:
die decease perish go exit
Usage Patterns:
Somebody ----s
verb Sense 11
be unable
"I fail to understand your motives"
Opposites:
pull off negociate bring off carry off manage
Usage Patterns:
Something is ----ing PP
Semantic Complexity
83%
Sense Count
11
Total Synonyms
0
Total Relationships
67
Times Searched
3
Relationship Distribution

Word Relationship Graph

Synonyms Antonyms Hypernyms Hyponyms

Related Words

worsen decline strike out default default on choke muff take it on the chin miss overreach botch bumble