fails

verb

present tense third-person singular of fail
1
as in dies
to stop functioning my car failed just as I was about to head to work

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2
as in collapses
to be unsuccessful despite all the publicity, the movie failed miserably at the box office

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3
as in disappoints
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of although the minor-league franchise continues to fail local fans, hope springs eternal

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4
as in weakens
to lose bodily strength or vigor ever since she reached the age of 90, Grandma has been noticeably failing

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5
as in forgets
to miss the opportunity or obligation failed to mention that he was looking for new job

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fails My memory fails me, what happened in the postseason last season? — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 When an individual is sued by a debt collector and fails to appear, the individual loses the option to negotiate. — Elliot Raphaelson, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026 The real question isn’t who takes the blame when judgment fails. — Frances Mei Hardin, STAT, 7 Aug. 2026 Colangelo wrote on the movie site Slashfilm that the YouTube-to-Hollywood pipeline is yet another way the industry fails women directors and points out that YouTube is a platform that implicitly appeals to men. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 When a payment fails, finding the cause means checking logs across systems that don't talk to each other. — Serhii Zakharov, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 In turn, there is a perception that the endeavor is one big cash grab, one that is not worth the risk of embarrassment if the film fails critically and/or commercially. — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 31 July 2026 At times, the 19-year-old can look frustrated on the pitch when a team-mate fails to find him or if one of his skills doesn’t come off. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 30 July 2026 Lucy fails to correct the Callaghans at the right moment and becomes progressively more enmeshed with the quirky family. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fails
  1. dies
  2. collapses
  3. disappoints
  4. weakens
  5. forgets
  6. crashes
  7. misses
  8. fades
Verb
  • When Kelekele Lituka, a wrestler who became world champion in 1974, dies in 2021, he’s buried with little fanfare.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Hong long ago deleted the post, for obvious reasons, but nothing on the internet ever really dies.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of dies
Verb
  • But the serial killer arc feels more and more tacked on as the season collapses into itself.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026
  • And The Margin Trap If a facility cannot support next-generation computing when an anchor lease expires, terminal value collapses.
    — Dr. Dick Bridy, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of collapses
Verb
  • The movie itself disappoints him for its deviations from the Stephen King novel (including this detail may help preempt criticisms over this adaptation), but he’s also distracted by the presence of a strikingly handsome stranger (Homer Gere).
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
  • However – there’s an important distinction between an expensive car that disappoints and an expensive car that actually feels expensive.
    — Karl Brauer, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of disappoints
Verb
  • In a turnaround, the danger is that cutting so deeply weakens the capabilities needed for recovery.
    — Ozan Ozerk, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Every decision that follows—from financial management to customer experience—either strengthens or weakens that identity.
    — Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • The colleague who recalls the exact figure from a report read months ago, or the friend who never forgets a name out of habit— both register as sharp, and everyone else registers as scattered.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Candace Owens, who often forgets that misogyny applies to her, too, chimed in on their behalf.
    — Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 25 July 2026
Definition of forgets
Verb
  • The software visionary who never checked the system limits ends up with a beautiful product that crashes under pressure.
    — Rohan Pinto, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • By July 28, crashes on city streets had killed at least 28 more people.
    — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of crashes
Verb
  • His fastball only sits around 92-93, maybe 94 on a good day, but his funky delivery adds deception and misses bats.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • An organization can grow without actually scaling to match, and if leadership misses that gap, things can run aground fast.
    — Richard Neal, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of misses
Verb
  • Slowing down to test demand, unit economics and operational readiness helps companies avoid costly overexpansion and build growth that lasts after the hype fades.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Many health devices end up forgotten in a drawer after the novelty fades.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of fades

Browse Nearby Words

failings
fails
fail-safe
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Cite this Entry

“Fails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fails. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of fails for Spanish Speakers

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