fail
verb
[ feɪl ]
• be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal.
• "he failed in his attempt to secure election"
• neglect to do something.
• "the firm failed to give adequate risk warnings"
• cease to work properly; break down.
• "a lorry whose brakes had failed"
Similar:
break down,
break,
stop working,
cease to function,
cut out,
stop,
stall,
crash,
give out,
malfunction,
act up,
go wrong,
develop a fault,
be faulty,
be defective,
conk out,
go kaput,
go phut,
give up the ghost,
go on the blink,
be on the blink,
pack up,
play up,
Opposite:
work,
be in working order,
fail
noun
• a mark which is not high enough to pass an examination or test.
• "a fail grade"
• a mistake, failure, or instance of poor performance.
• "their customer service is a massive fail"
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French faillir (verb), faille (noun), based on Latin fallere ‘deceive’.
without fail
• with no exception; always.
• "he writes every week without fail"
Similar:
without exception,
unfailingly,
constantly,
regularly,
invariably,
dependably,
conscientiously,
reliably,
faithfully,
predictably,
punctually,
religiously,
whatever happened,
always,
like clockwork,
