failed

[ feyld ]

/ feɪld /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR failed ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

falling short of success or achievement in something expected, desired, etc.: bad memories from a failed relationship; a failed attempt to save his daughter.

Origin of failed

First recorded in 1650–60; fail + -ed²

Words nearby failed

faidherbe, faience, fail, fail-safe, fail-soft, failed, failed state, failing, faille, failure, fain

Definition for failed (2 of 2)

fail

[ feyl ]

/ feɪl /

verb (used without object)

to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved: The experiment failed because of poor planning.

to receive less than the passing grade or mark in an examination, class, or course of study: He failed in history.

to be or become deficient or lacking; be insufficient or absent; fall short: Our supplies failed.

to dwindle, pass, or die away: The flowers failed for lack of rain.

to lose strength or vigor; become weak: His health failed after the operation.

to become unable to meet or pay debts or business obligations; become insolvent or bankrupt.

(of a building member, structure, machine part, etc.) to break, bend, crush, or be otherwise destroyed or made useless because of an excessive load.

to stop functioning or operating: The electricity failed during the storm.

Slang.

to make an embarrassing or humorous mistake, be in a humiliating situation, etc., and be subject to ridicule: Showed up late to the wedding? You fail!
to be embarrassingly incompetent, stupid, etc.: She fails at life. I just failed at walking and fell on my face.
to be bad or of inferior quality: The play is terrible—even the music fails.

verb (used with object)

to be unsuccessful in the performance or completion of: He failed to do his duty.

(of some expected or usual resource) to prove of no use or help to: His friends failed him. Words failed her.

to receive less than a passing grade or mark in: He failed history.

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.

noun

Slang.

an embarrassing or humorous mistake, humiliating situation, etc., that is subject to ridicule and given an exaggerated importance: Their app update is a massive fail.
the condition or quality resulting from having failed in this way: His online post is full of fail.
a person who fails in this way.

Stock Exchange.

a stockbroker's inability to deliver or receive security within the required time after sale or purchase.
such an undelivered security.

Obsolete. failure as to performance, occurrence, etc.

interjection

Slang.

(used to mock an embarrassing or humorous mistake, humiliating situation, etc., giving it an exaggerated importance): A tattoo that misspells your name? Fail!
(used to indicate that something is bad or of inferior quality)

adjective

unsuccessful; failed: a totally fail policy.

Slang.

of or noting an embarrassing or humorous mistake, humiliating situation, etc.: the top 100 funniest fail photos on the Internet.
embarrassingly incompetent, stupid, etc: Why am I so fail?
very bad or of inferior quality.

Origin of fail

1175–1225; Middle English failen < Anglo-French, Old French faillir < Vulgar Latin *fallīre, for Latin fallere to disappoint, deceive

OTHER WORDS FROM fail

un·failed, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for failed

This is the Mexico that has been called a “failed state” — most recently by Jose “Pepe” Mujica, the president of Uruguay.

Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting |Ruben Navarrette Jr. |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Apparently, the company “failed to properly test its systems.”

Best Buy Punches Back at Amazon |William O’Connor |December 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Female business leaders offer the hope of a private solution where a public one failed.

The Women Battling an Islamist Strongman |Christina Asquith |December 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Her relationship with him had failed, Alison told Cole, because he reminded her of their dead son.

What On Earth Is ‘The Affair’ About? Season One’s Baffling Finale |Tim Teeman |December 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Nevetheless, Democratic rule has not only failed to halt the trend, but appears to have accelerated it.

Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats |Joel Kotkin |December 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And I've not only failed in nearly everything I undertook, but I've been a fool besides.

A Yankee from the West |Opie Read
The love that had changed him and the life that had failed him seemed utterly misrelated.

The U.P. Trail |Zane Grey
The commission was sent for, and Riel tried to intercept the messenger, but failed to do so.

The Remarkable History of the Hudson's Bay Company |George Bryce
Both Hussey and McCormick asked for extensions of their patents, but they failed to get them.

The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century. |Edward W. Byrn
I can with great satisfaction say that this means hardly ever failed me.

The Art of War |Baron Henri de Jomini

British Dictionary definitions for failed (1 of 2)

fail ¹

/ (feɪl) /

verb

to be unsuccessful in an attempt (at something or to do something)

(intr) to stop operating or working properly the steering failed suddenly

to judge or be judged as being below the officially accepted standard required for success in (a course, examination, etc)

(tr) to prove disappointing, undependable, or useless to (someone)

(tr) to neglect or be unable (to do something)

(intr) to prove partly or completely insufficient in quantity, duration, or extent

(intr) to weaken; fade away

(intr) to go bankrupt or become insolvent

noun

a failure to attain the required standard, as in an examination

without fail definitely; with certainty

Word Origin for fail

C13: from Old French faillir, ultimately from Latin fallere to disappoint; probably related to Greek phēlos deceitful

British Dictionary definitions for failed (2 of 2)

fail ²

/ (fel) /

noun

Scot a turf; sod

Word Origin for fail

perhaps from Scottish Gaelic fàl

Idioms and Phrases with failed

fail

see without fail; words fail me.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

failed

adjective

Origin of failed

Words nearby failed

Definition for failed (2 of 2)

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

interjection

adjective

Origin of fail

OTHER WORDS FROM fail

Example sentences from the Web for failed

British Dictionary definitions for failed (1 of 2)

verb

noun

Word Origin for fail

British Dictionary definitions for failed (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for fail

Idioms and Phrases with failed

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

failed

adjective

Origin of failed

Words nearby failed

Definition for failed (2 of 2)

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

interjection

adjective

Origin of fail

OTHER WORDS FROM fail

Words related to failed

Example sentences from the Web for failed

British Dictionary definitions for failed (1 of 2)

verb

noun

Word Origin for fail

British Dictionary definitions for failed (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for fail

Idioms and Phrases with failed