english
1
general::
verb not succeed ADV. dismally, miserably I tried to cheer her up, but failed miserably. | spectacularly The show didn't just fail, it failed spectacularly. VERB + FAIL cannot/could not, can/could hardly The song can't fail to be a hit (= will definitely be a hit). | be bound to, be destined to, be doomed to an enterprise that was doomed to fail from the start PREP. in Doctors are failing in their duty if they do not warn their patients of the dangers. fail to do sth: not do sth ADV. totally The authorities have totally failed to address this problem.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
2
general::
fail
to not succeed – used about people, plans, methods etc:
• The plan failed. • They failed to persuade her to change her mind. • This method never fails.
go wrong
if something you do goes wrong, it fails after starting well:
• The experiment went wrong when the chemicals combined to form a poisonous gas.
not work
if something does not work, it does not do what you want it to do:
• The drugs don’t work. • I tried to fix it with glue, but that didn’t work.
be unsuccessful
to not have the result you wanted:
• His first attempt to get a teaching job was unsuccessful. • The search was unsuccessful.
be a failure
to be unsuccessful, with the result that you have wasted your efforts:
• The government’s 5-year plan to modernize the economy was a complete failure .
backfire
if a plan or action backfires, it does the opposite of what it was intended to do:
• His plan to get attention backfired, and instead of being promoted he lost his job.
in vain
if you try to do something in vain, you fail to do it:
• They tried in vain to save him. • All her efforts had been in vain.
Longman-Thesaurus
3
general::
verb
floundered:
You have failed in your task.
verb
misfired:
The machine failed to operate.
Simple Definitions
4
general::
see WITHOUT FAIL; WORDS FAIL ME.
American Heritage Idioms