fail

fail
/fayl/, v.i.
1. to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved: The experiment failed because of poor planning.
2. to receive less than the passing grade or mark in an examination, class, or course of study: He failed in history.
3. to be or become deficient or lacking; be insufficient or absent; fall short: Our supplies failed.
4. to dwindle, pass, or die away: The flowers failed for lack of rain.
5. to lose strength or vigor; become weak: His health failed after the operation.
6. to become unable to meet or pay debts or business obligations; become insolvent or bankrupt.
7. (of a building member, structure, machine part, etc.) to break, bend, crush, or be otherwise destroyed or made useless because of an excessive load.
8. to stop functioning or operating: The electricity failed during the storm.
v.t.
9. to be unsuccessful in the performance or completion of: He failed to do his duty.
10. (of some expected or usual resource) to prove of no use or help to: His friends failed him. Words failed her.
11. to receive less than a passing grade or mark in: He failed history.
12. to declare (a person) unsuccessful in a test, course of study, etc.; give less than a passing grade to: The professor failed him in history.
n.
13. Stock Exchange.
a. a stockbroker's inability to deliver or receive security within the required time after sale or purchase.
b. such an undelivered security.
14. Obs. failure as to performance, occurrence, etc.
15. without fail, with certainty; positively: I will visit you tomorrow without fail.
[1175-1225; ME failen < AF, OF faillir < VL *fallire, for L fallere to disappoint, deceive]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Fail — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Fail Freguesia de Portugal …   Wikipedia Español

  • fail — fail·ing·ly; fail; fail·ure; jeo·fail; un·fail·ing; un·fail·ing·ly; un·fail·ing·ness; …   English syllables

  • Fail — Fail, n. [OF. faille, from failir. See {Fail}, v. i.] 1. Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; mostly superseded by {failure} or {failing}, except in the phrase without fail. His highness fail of issue. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Death; decease.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fail — [fāl] vi. [ME failen < OFr faillir, to fail, miss < L fallere, to deceive, disappoint < IE base * ĝhwel , to bend, deviate > Sans hválati, (he) loses the way, errs, Gr phēloein, to deceive] 1. to be lacking or insufficient; fall short …   English World dictionary

  • FAIL (N. du) — FAIL NOËL DU, seigneur de La Hérissaye (1520 1591) Magistrat breton, conseiller au parlement de Bretagne après des études qui lui ont fait faire un traditionnel tour de France des universités: Poitiers, Angers, Bourges et Avignon. Après avoir… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Fail — Fail, v. t. 1. To be wanting to; to be insufficient for; to disappoint; to desert. [1913 Webster] There shall not fail thee a man on the throne. 1 Kings ii. 4. [1913 Webster] 2. To miss of attaining; to lose. [R.] [1913 Webster] Though that seat… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fail — early 13c., from O.Fr. falir (11c., Mod.Fr. faillir) be lacking, miss, not succeed, from V.L. *fallire, from L. fallere to trip, cause to fall; figuratively to deceive, trick, dupe, cheat, elude; fail, be lacking or defective. Related: Failed;… …   Etymology dictionary

  • fail — [v1] be unsuccessful abort, backslide, back wrong horse*, be defeated, be demoted, be found lacking*, be in vain*, be ruined, blunder, break down, come to naught, come to nothing, decline, deteriorate, fall, fall flat*, fall short*, fall through* …   New thesaurus

  • fail — ► VERB 1) be unsuccessful in an undertaking. 2) be unable to meet the standards set by (a test). 3) judge (a candidate in an examination or test) not to have passed. 4) neglect to do. 5) disappoint expectations: chaos has failed to materialize.… …   English terms dictionary

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