(transitive) To give a student a non-passing grade in an academic endeavour.
(transitive, obsolete) To miss attaining; to lose.
To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence.
(archaic) To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; used with of.
(archaic) To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.
(archaic) To deteriorate in respect to vigour, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker.
(obsolete) To perish; to die; used of a person.
(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.
“My attempts to make it as a professional musician would ultimately fail.”
“His promise to his father to look after his family and provide for them rang through his mind. He had failed to protect Virginia. He would not fail his family.”
“My father says that he will never fail us regardless of what happens.”
“And we are warned, that the foundation or maine summers of our houses faile and shrinke, when we see the quarters bend, or wals to breake.”
“And lest by her long talke she should be found to trip or faile in her words, she filled their laps with gold, silver, and Jewels, and commanded Zephyrus to carry them away.”
“Faile and Banksy, these two experimented visual artists represent an aerial view of bamboo leaves in order to express nature's positivism.”
fails
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of fail
