Verb He failed in his first attempt but succeeded in his second attempt. His first company failed, but his second company succeeded. He felt that he had failed her when she needed him most. The government has failed the voters.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Like every building in town, the hotel kept its lights off—a necessary defensive tactic, but hardly fail-safe. Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2022 As far as the average fan is concerned, if the Dodgers fail to win the World Series, Roberts will be at fault. Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2022 Chelsea has also lost two of its first six games — to Leeds and Southampton — in an underwhelming start to the Premier League that has seen the team's new signings fail to gel. Steve Douglas, ajc, 7 Sep. 2022 Among those backing the tax Wednesday, Gaby Ortigoni, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Metro Orlando, said the county’s existing, inefficient transit options fail workers who depend on public transportation to get to their jobs. Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2022 The District has long deployed a False Claims Act to pursue, for example, contractors who over-bill or fail to complete construction projects. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2022 The Bruins defense should have little trouble stopping the Hornets offense, especially if the Hornets fail to hang on to the ball. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 7 Sep. 2022 Agee Smith’s father got so angry at beavers in part because the sides of their dams would fail during the rush of the spring snow melt, sending damaging sediment onto his hayfields.The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 Managing money is an essential life skill, yet most U.S. adults would fail a financial literacy test. Liz Weston, oregonlive, 4 Sep. 2022
Noun
Everyone involved, without fail, commended Hanzman for designing the structure of the case and setting its tone and pace. Patricia Mazzei, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2022 Each day without fail, the sign displays a new message, occasionally commenting on a current event or just offering up some snarky musing. Abigail Rosenthal, Chron, 29 Aug. 2022 The brown sugar flavor was amazing, but my first try at cooking the boba—using the boiling water method—was a fail, the boba too dry and not bouncy enough, probably because the water in the cup cooled before the boba could cook. Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 26 Aug. 2022 European butter adds a slight tanginess to the dough and because the butter has less water than American butter, your pastry will bake up golden, flaky and crisp without fail. Robin Miller, USA TODAY, 21 Aug. 2022 European butter adds a slight tanginess to the dough and because the butter has less water than American butter, your pastry will bake up golden, flaky and crisp without fail. Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 16 Aug. 2022 During one of New Orleans' frequent surprise rain showers, the driver will stop the car and swiftly move through the interior closing all the windows—almost without fail locals and tourists alike will get the message and start helping, too. Nathaniel Adams, Chron, 15 Aug. 2022 Chandler said that the three fail-safes - an app, a pin-pad and a fingerprint - manufactured into the smart gun can help combat some of those preventable deaths. Haley Yamada, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2022 But they were done with specificity and without fail for each patient. Terry Demio, The Enquirer, 8 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
Middle English failen, from Anglo-French faillir, from Vulgar Latin *fallire, alteration of Latin fallere to deceive, disappoint