fail (
http://definr.com/fail)
v 1: fail to do something; leave something undone; "She failed to
notice that her child was no longer in his crib"; "The
secretary failed to call the customer and the company
lost the account" [syn:
neglect]
2: be unsuccessful; "Where do today's public schools fail?";
"The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably"
[syn:
go wrong,
miscarry] [ant:
succeed]
3: disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake; "His
sense of smell failed him this time"; "His strength
finally failed him"; "His children failed him in the
crisis" [syn:
betray]
4: stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went";
"The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke
down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The
engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went
after the accident" [syn:
go bad,
give way,
die, {give
out},
conk out,
go,
break,
break down]
5: be unable; "I fail to understand your motives" [ant: {pull
off}]
6: judge unacceptable; "The teacher failed six students" [ant:
pass]
7: fail to get a passing grade; "She studied hard but failed
nevertheless"; "Did I fail the test?" [syn:
flunk,
bomb,
flush it] [ant:
pass]
8: fall short in what is expected; "She failed in her
obligations as a good daughter-in-law"
9: become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close;
"The toy company went bankrupt after the competition hired
cheap Mexican labor"; "A number of banks failed that year"
10: prove insufficient; "The water supply for the town failed
after a long drought" [syn:
run out,
give out]
11: get worse; "Her health is declining"