To fail means to not succeed in achieving something, or to not reach the required standard in a test or assessment. It can also describe a system, machine, or person that does not perform a duty or function as expected.
What Does Fail Mean?
Fail comes from Old French faillir (to be lacking, to miss) and Latin fallere (to deceive, to disappoint). It entered Middle English around the 13th century. The Latin root also gives us false, fallacy, and fallible — words that share the idea of something not meeting expectations.
In modern British English, fail is one of the most frequently used verbs in education, business, and everyday conversation. It works as a transitive verb — fail a test, fail a module — and as an intransitive verb: the plan failed, the engine failed. It also combines with to + infinitive to describe something that did not happen as expected: she failed to return my call.
Note that fail is not the same as lose. You fail an exam but lose a match. Confusing these two words is one of the most common errors made by intermediate ESL learners.
Example Sentences (A2–C1)
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| He failed the exam but passed on his second attempt. | A2 — transitive: fail + object |
| I was really upset when I failed my driving test. | B1 — personal context, common collocation |
| The heating system failed during the coldest week of winter. | B1 — intransitive: machine stops working |
| The government failed to address the underlying causes of the crisis. | B2 — formal: fail to + infinitive |
| Despite repeated attempts, the peace talks failed to produce a binding agreement. | C1 — formal/academic register |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| fail an exam / test / course | She failed the written exam but passed the practical. |
| fail to do something | He failed to submit his assignment on time. |
| fail miserably / spectacularly | The marketing campaign failed miserably. |
| without fail | She attends every session without fail. |
| fail-safe | The engineers built a fail-safe mechanism into the system. |
| doomed to fail | Critics said the project was doomed to fail from the start. |
Usage Notes: Formal vs Informal
Register
Formal / written English: Use fail to + infinitive to describe something expected that did not happen. This structure is very common in academic writing, news articles, and official documents: "The committee failed to reach a consensus."
Neutral / everyday English: Fail as a transitive verb is standard in any register: "I failed my test." It is not rude or impolite — it is simply factual.
Informal / colloquial: In casual British English, fail is also used as a noun to mean something that went badly wrong: "That presentation was an epic fail." This use is widespread on social media and among younger speakers but would be inappropriate in formal writing.
Watch out: Do not confuse fail (not succeed) with lose (be defeated). You fail a test; you lose a game.
Related Words (Word Family)
Synonyms
Antonyms
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
I lost my driving test last week.
I failed my driving test last week. (use fail, not lose, for tests and exams)
She failed at the interview.
She failed the interview. (fail + direct object, no preposition needed)
The plan has been failed.
The plan has failed. (fail is intransitive here — no passive)