fail

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”

be unsuccessful

• “Where do today”
• “;”

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”

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”

be unable

• “I fail to understand your motives”

judge unacceptable

• “The teacher failed six students”

fail to get a passing grade

• “She studied hard but failed nevertheless”
• “Did I fail the test?”

fall short in what is expected

• “She failed in her obligations as a good daughter-in-law”
• “We must not fail his obligation to the victims of the Holocaust”

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”

prove insufficient

• “The water supply for the town failed after a long drought”

get worse

• “Her health is declining”