- fail someone
- give someone a failing grade (on an exam, etc.); disappoint someone, let someone down
English contemporary dictionary. 2014.
fail someone
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fail — fail1 [ feıl ] verb *** ▸ 1 be unsuccessful ▸ 2 not do something expected ▸ 3 not do well enough ▸ 4 no longer work/continue ▸ 5 lose quality/ability ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) intransitive to be unsuccessful when you try to do something: Most people who… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
fail — [[t]fe͟ɪl[/t]] ♦ fails, failing, failed 1) VERB If you fail to do something that you were trying to do, you are unable to do it or do not succeed in doing it. [V to inf] The Workers Party failed to win a single governorship... [V in n] He failed… … English dictionary
fail — I UK [feɪl] / US verb Word forms fail : present tense I/you/we/they fail he/she/it fails present participle failing past tense failed past participle failed *** 1) a) [intransitive] to be unsuccessful when you try to do something Most people who… … English dictionary
fail — fail1 W1S2 [feıl] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(not succeed)¦ 2¦(not do something)¦ 3¦(exam/test)¦ 4 I fail to see/understand 5¦(company/business)¦ 6¦(machine/body part)¦ 7¦(health)¦ 8 never fail to do something 9 your courage/will/nerve fails (you) … Dictionary of contemporary English
fail — 1 /feIl/ verb 1 TRY BUT FAIL (I) to be unsuccessful in something that you want to do: Peace talks between the two countries have failed. | fail to do sth: Doctors failed to save the girl s life. | fail miserably (=be completely unsuccessful in a… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
fail*/*/*/ — [feɪl] verb I 1) [I] to be unsuccessful Ant: succeed It looks as if the negotiations are going to fail.[/ex] He failed in his attempt to get compensation.[/ex] They have failed to think of any practical solutions.[/ex] 2) [I] to not do something… … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
fail — [13] Fail, fallacy [15], fallible, false, and fault all come ultimately from the same source – the Latin verb fallere. This originally meant ‘deceive’, but it developed semantically to ‘deceive someone’s hopes, disappoint someone’, and in its… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
fail — [13] Fail, fallacy [15], fallible, false, and fault all come ultimately from the same source – the Latin verb fallere. This originally meant ‘deceive’, but it developed semantically to ‘deceive someone’s hopes, disappoint someone’, and in its… … Word origins
let someone down — FAIL (TO SUPPORT), fall short of expectation, disappoint, disillusion; abandon, desert, leave stranded, leave in the lurch. → let * * * fail to support or help someone as they had hoped or expected ■ let someone/something down have a detrimental… … Useful english dictionary
stand someone up — FAIL TO KEEP A DATE WITH, fail to meet, fail to keep an appointment with, jilt. → stand * * * informal fail to keep an appointment with a boyfriend or girlfriend … Useful english dictionary
