1
as in to die
to stop functioning
my car failed just as I was about to head to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to collapse
to be unsuccessful
despite all the publicity, the movie failed miserably at the box office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to disappoint
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of
although the minor-league franchise continues to fail local fans, hope springs eternal
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to weaken
to lose bodily strength or vigor
ever since she reached the age of 90, Grandma has been noticeably failing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to forget
to miss the opportunity or obligation
failed to mention that he was looking for new job
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fail
Though some movies have been more successful than others (both critically and commercially), most sequels to John McTiernan's 1987 veiny action-horror romp failed to reignite enthusiasm for the franchise.
—
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Unfortunately for SpaceX, the Starship upper stage failed again, in a similar location, with similar impacts.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2025
The Starship rocket also failed minutes after launching from SpaceX's Texas facility in January, with falling debris causing damage to properties on the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Despite being aware of the cellmate’s dangerous behavior, staff failed to intervene, according to a lawsuit.
—Stories By Real-Time News Team, With Ai Summarization, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fail
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Unfortunately for SpaceX, the Starship upper stage failed again, in a similar location, with similar impacts.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2025
The Starship rocket also failed minutes after launching from SpaceX's Texas facility in January, with falling debris causing damage to properties on the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Despite being aware of the cellmate’s dangerous behavior, staff failed to intervene, according to a lawsuit.
—Stories By Real-Time News Team, With Ai Summarization, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fail
Verb
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One man testified that his teenage daughter, who had epilepsy, died while taking a bath and that his grief was compounded by knowing investigators possessed photographs taken in her death investigation.—
Audrey Dutton,
ProPublica,
5 Mar. 2025
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Construction began in 1869 and was still under way when the king died in 1886.—
Ann Abel,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In 2021, more than 200 people died after part of a glacier collapsed in Uttarakhand, carrying a deadly mixture of ice, rock and water that tore through a mountain gorge and crashed through a dam.—
Kathleen Magramo and Esha Mitra,
CNN,
4 Mar. 2025
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But three days later, the Chillicothe, Ohio, girl collapsed while using the bathroom at 4 am.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
People.com,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In September, Reuters reported that Broadcom was disappointed with Intel tests .—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2025
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But honestly, Tim wasn’t disappointed enough, because dude got totally robbed for his Dylan in A Complete Unknown.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Fed officials are closely monitoring inflation and the labor market for signs of a potentially weakening economy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2025
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But the Trump administration's new cuts further weaken a banking watchdog that has been sounding the alarm for years about its decreasing ability to prevent future banking crises.—
Maria Aspan,
NPR,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Items in the collab, to be released March 7, include caps with Murakami’s signature, colorful, smiling flowers, clothing, and—not to be forgotten—an all-American favorite collector’s item: baseball cards.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
28 Feb. 2025
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Gone but not forgotten: Lizzy Caplan is opening up about that Gambit movie that never was, and her honest thoughts on it getting scrapped.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Surfers watching waves crash at Byron Bay’s Main Beach in Australia on Wednesday.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
5 Mar. 2025
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Hughes then collided with Eichel and crashed into the boards hard.—
Ryan Morik,
Fox News,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Jalen Suggs last played for the Orlando Magic on Jan. 25 and has missed 15 games.—
Stan Son,
The Athletic,
5 Mar. 2025
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The backstop, who missed two months after pulling an oblique muscle on Opening Day last year, is virtually certain to open 2025 on the injured list.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The second week My usual redness around my cheeks had started to fade, and the annoying pimple that had been brewing on my cheek seemed to back off without its usual dramatic entrance.—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
7 Mar. 2025
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The blockbuster set, which is still the bestselling project in history, refuses to fade away, consistently finding a home on multiple Billboard charts.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fail. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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