failed

fail fail [feɪl] verb

1. [intransitive] COMMERCE if a business fails, it is not successful and loses so much money that it has to close:

• The company failed amid charges that the chairman had stolen $17 million.

• More than 10,000 companies failed with debts of more than 10 million yen.

— failed adjective [only before a noun] :

• the failed Bank of Credit & Commerce International

2. [intransitive] if something you try to do fails, it is not successful:

• A move to vote the chairman off the Bell Resources board failed.

fail to do something

• A salesman may communicate perfectly well with a customer but fail to make a sale.

— failed adjective [only before a noun] :

• The firm collapsed after a failed bid for a rival insurer.

3. [intransitive] if something fails to happen, it does not happen, although you expected or wanted it to:

fail to do something

• The new projects have failed to gain general acceptance from the board.

• If the recovery fails to cut the deficit sharply, a rise in taxes will be needed.

4. [intransitive] MANUFACTURING if equipment or a machine fails, it stops working because there is a fault

5. FARMING [intransitive] if crops fail, they do not grow or produce any food:

• The corn harvest failed after a terrible drought.

6. [intransitive, transitive] to not pass an examination, test or inspection:

• The railway line failed its Board of Trade inspection earlier this year.