fail

Throughout my life, I have always failed.

If they ſhoulde gyue battayle it was to be doubted, leaſt through treaſon amõgſt themſelues, the armie ſhould be betrayed into the enimies hands, the which would not fayle to execute all kinde of crueltie in the ſlaughter of the whole nation.

1577, Raphaell Holinshed, “The Historie of Englande”, in The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, →OCLC, page 249, column 1:

As the world’s drug habit shows, governments are failing in their quest to monitor every London window-box and Andean hillside for banned plants. But even that Sisyphean task looks easy next to the fight against synthetic drugs. No sooner has a drug been blacklisted than chemists adjust their recipe and start churning out a subtly different one.

2013 August 10, “A new prescription”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:

The truck failed to start.

(transitive) Not to achieve a particular stated goal. (Usage note: The direct object of this word is usually an infinitive.)

The report fails to take into account all the mitigating factors.

Those who have advocated the closure of the G.C. have so far failed to say by which alternative route this North-to-West traffic could be carried.

1960 December, B. Perren, “The role of the Great Central—present and future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 765:

After running five minutes, the engine failed.

We also found that the only emergency egress from the tram was by smashing the front or rear windscreens, and that emergency lighting had failed when the tram overturned.

2021 December 29, Dominique Louis, “Causal analysis: crashworthiness at Sandilands”, in RAIL, number 947, page 33:

(intransitive) Of a machine, etc.: to cease to operate correctly.

I've failed my parents many times growing up.

There shall not fail thee a man on the throne.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Kings 2:4:

A poor Irish Widow […] went forth with her three children, bare of all resource, to solicit help from the Charitable Establishments of that City. At this Charitable Establishment and then at that she was refused; referred from one to the other, helped by none; — till she had exhausted them all; till her strength and heart failed her: she sank down in typhus-fever […]

1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “ch. II, Gospel of Mammonism”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book III (The Modern Worker):

That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness failed him, he overcame you by sheer impudence.

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

(transitive) To be wanting to, to be insufficient for, to disappoint, to desert; to disappoint one's expectations.

I failed English last year.

(ambitransitive) To receive one or more non-passing grades in academic pursuits.

The professor failed me because I did not complete any of the course assignments.

(transitive) To give a student a non-passing grade in an academic endeavour.

though that seat of earthly bliss be failed

1671, John Milton, “The Fourth Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:

(transitive, obsolete) To miss attaining; to lose.

The crops failed last year.

as the waters fail from the sea

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 14:11:

Till Lionel's issue fails, his should not reign.

1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence.

If ever they fail of beauty, this failure is not to be attributed to their size.

1757, Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful:

(archaic) To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; used with of.

When earnestly they seek / Such proof, conclude they then begin to fail.

1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

(archaic) To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.

A sick man fails.

(archaic) To deteriorate in respect to vigour, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker.

had the king in his last sickness failed

1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

(obsolete) To perish; to die; used of a person.

Which ofttimes may succeed, so as perhaps / Shall grieve him, if I fail not.

1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

(obsolete) To err in judgment; to be mistaken.

To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent.

en-verb

fail (third-person singular simple present fails, present participle failing, simple past and past participle failed)

fails (present singular third-person)
failing (participle present)
failed (participle past)
failed (past)
fail (infinitive)
faile (alternative)
fayle (alternative)
faile (alternative)

flunk

to receive non-passing grades in academic pursuits

→ Welsh: ffaelu

pettää

to be wanting to, to be insufficient for, to disappoint, to desert

ngel

to receive one or more non-passing grades in academic pursuits

Inherited from Middle English failen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman faillir, from Vulgar Latin *fallire, alteration of Latin fallere (“to deceive, disappoint”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰāl- (“to lie, deceive”) or Proto-Indo-European *sgʷʰh₂el- (“to stumble”).
Compare Dutch feilen, falen (“to fail, miss”), German fehlen (“to fail, miss, lack”), Danish fejle (“to fail, err”), Swedish fela (“to fail, be wanting, do wrong”), Icelandic feila (“to fail”), Spanish fallar (“to fail, miss”).


fail

A failure, especially of a financial transaction (a termination of an action).

A failing grade in an academic examination.

(slang, US) A failure (something incapable of success).

The project was full of fail.

(uncountable, slang) Poor quality; substandard workmanship.

en-noun

fail (countable and uncountable, plural fails)


fail

(slang, US) Unsuccessful; inadequate; unacceptable in some way.

en-adj

fail (comparative more fail, superlative most fail)

more fail (comparative)
most fail (superlative)
faile (alternative)


fail

fails (plural)
feal (alternative)
faile (alternative)

Unknown. Compare Scottish Gaelic fàl (“hedge”), Scots faill (“turf”). Attested from the 16th century.


fail

a collection of papers collated and archived together.

(computing) an aggregation of data on a storage device, identified by a name.

From English file, from Old French fil (“thread”), from Latin filum (“thread”). Compare to Malay fail.


fail

head

fail f (genitive singular faile, nominative plural faileanna)

faile (genitive singular)
faileanna (nominative plural)
nominative (indefinite)
fail (indefinite singular)
faileanna (indefinite plural)
vocative (indefinite)
a fhail (indefinite singular)
a fhaileanna (indefinite plural)
genitive (indefinite)
faile (indefinite singular)
dative (indefinite)
nominative (definite)
an fhail (definite singular)
na faileanna (definite plural)
genitive (definite)
na faile (definite singular)
na bhfaileanna (definite plural)
dative (definite)
leis an bhfail (definite singular)
don fhail (definite singular)
leis na faileanna (definite plural)
fail
fhail
bhfail

From Old Irish foil, from Proto-Celtic *wali-, from Proto-Indo-European *wel-. Cognates include Ancient Greek ἕλιξ (hélix, “something twisted”).


fail

information or a document about someone, something etc.

(computing) file (aggregation of data on a storage device)


fail

(with untuk) file (make a formal request)


fail

head

fail (definite accusative faili, plural failler)

faili (accusative definite)
failler (plural)
fail (nominative singular)
failler (nominative plural)
faili (accusative definite singular)
failleri (accusative definite plural)
faile (dative singular)
faillere (dative plural)
failde (locative singular)
faillerde (locative plural)
failden (ablative singular)
faillerden (ablative plural)
failin (genitive singular)
faillerin (genitive plural)
failim (first-person nominative singular)
faillerim (first-person nominative singular)
failin (nominative second-person singular)
faillerin (nominative second-person singular)
faili (nominative singular third-person)
failleri (nominative singular third-person)
failimiz (first-person nominative plural)
faillerimiz (first-person nominative plural)
failiniz (nominative plural second-person)
failleriniz (nominative plural second-person)
failleri (nominative plural third-person)
failimi (accusative definite first-person singular)
faillerimi (accusative definite first-person singular)
failini (accusative definite second-person singular)
faillerini (accusative definite second-person singular)
failini (accusative definite singular third-person)
faillerini (accusative definite singular third-person)
failimizi (accusative definite first-person plural)
faillerimizi (accusative definite first-person plural)
failinizi (accusative definite plural second-person)
faillerinizi (accusative definite plural second-person)
faillerini (accusative definite plural third-person)
failime (dative first-person singular)
faillerime (dative first-person singular)
failine (dative second-person singular)
faillerine (dative second-person singular)
failine (dative singular third-person)
faillerine (dative singular third-person)
failimize (dative first-person plural)
faillerimize (dative first-person plural)
failinize (dative plural second-person)
faillerinize (dative plural second-person)
faillerine (dative plural third-person)
failimde (first-person locative singular)
faillerimde (first-person locative singular)
failinde (locative second-person singular)
faillerinde (locative second-person singular)
failinde (locative singular third-person)
faillerinde (locative singular third-person)
failimizde (first-person locative plural)
faillerimizde (first-person locative plural)
failinizde (locative plural second-person)
faillerinizde (locative plural second-person)
faillerinde (locative plural third-person)
failimden (ablative first-person singular)
faillerimden (ablative first-person singular)
failinden (ablative second-person singular)
faillerinden (ablative second-person singular)
failinden (ablative singular third-person)
faillerinden (ablative singular third-person)
failimizden (ablative first-person plural)
faillerimizden (ablative first-person plural)
failinizden (ablative plural second-person)
faillerinizden (ablative plural second-person)
faillerinden (ablative plural third-person)
failimin (first-person genitive singular)
faillerimin (first-person genitive singular)
failinin (genitive second-person singular)
faillerinin (genitive second-person singular)
failinin (genitive singular third-person)
faillerinin (genitive singular third-person)
failimizin (first-person genitive plural)
faillerimizin (first-person genitive plural)
failinizin (genitive plural second-person)
faillerinizin (genitive plural second-person)
faillerinin (genitive plural third-person)

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish فاعل (fā'il), from Arabic فَاعِل (fāʕil), active participle of فَعَلَ (faʕala, “to do, to affect”).