How to Use fail in a Sentence
- The government has failed the voters.
- He felt that he had failed her when she needed him most.
- He failed in his first attempt but succeeded in his second attempt.
- His first company failed, but his second company succeeded.
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Many teams of researchers have tried and failed in the task.
—
Will Sullivan,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 Mar. 2024
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Hamas will fail at that, because the Jews have nowhere else to go.
—
Isaac Chotiner,
The New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2023
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Germany failed to make it out of the group stage for the first time ever.
—
Nancy Armour,
USA TODAY,
19 Aug. 2023
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Even by that standard, Mishra says, the project is failing.
—
Oliver Franklin-Wallis,
WIRED,
30 Nov. 2023
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Rajakovic takes over a team that finished 41-41, made the play-in game but failed to reach the playoffs.
—
Jeff Zillgitt,
USA TODAY,
11 June 2023
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Republicans failed to get the 60 votes needed to block the deal.
—
Laura Schulte,
Journal Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2024
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He was sacked four times on a day when the offense again failed to sustain any success.
—
Jeff Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Dec. 2023
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Boston was swept by the Blue Jays, then failed to bury the Royals, beating them in three of four, and the Tigers, taking two of three.
—
Julian McWilliams,
BostonGlobe.com,
19 Aug. 2023
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Trump failed to testify or even show up at the first trial last spring.
—
Nr Editors,
National Review,
2 Feb. 2024
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After scoring 20+ points in the first two weeks of the season, the Panthers failed to do so for four straight weeks, all games at Ford Field.
—
Andrew Birkle,
Detroit Free Press,
10 June 2023
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Last season, a Mercedes driver failed to win a race across a whole season for the first time since 2011.
—
Sam Joseph,
CNN,
2 Feb. 2024
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Yet, this formula fails to consider the longevity of the item.
—
Pattie Ehsaei,
Forbes,
15 Feb. 2024
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Rita had tried to make it as an actress, moving to New York City, but failed to catch her big break.
—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2024
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Some have risen to the occasion, but others are failing.
—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
1 Sep. 2023
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Carolina scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers failed on a 2-point pass after the first one.
—
Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com,
al,
19 Aug. 2023
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But they were cut to 10 hours as the day progressed and the anticipated crowds failed to appear.
—
Katie Wiseman,
The Indianapolis Star,
13 Apr. 2024
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But Kissinger failed to achieve stability in the region.
—
Norman Kempster,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Nov. 2023
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In fact, who could fail to notice these two heartbreakers?
—
Kyle Chayka,
The New Yorker,
1 Sep. 2023
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Under the deal, Biden will plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his taxes.
—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC News,
21 June 2023
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Each episode, Robert would go to a failing restaurant with the hopes of restoring it to a place where the establishment could make a profit.
—
Adrianna Freedman,
Good Housekeeping,
16 July 2023
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Although the Kansas City team failed to score in the second half, the Miami Dolphins came up short by the end of the game with only 14 points in the third quarter.
—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
Peoplemag,
5 Nov. 2023
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Russia has repeatedly tried and failed to destroy those Su-24s on the ground.
—
Sébastien Roblin,
Popular Mechanics,
9 Aug. 2023
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So no one was going to fail to live up to being invited to be part of history.
—
Steve Baltin,
Rolling Stone,
11 June 2023
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In Porter’s case, her ticket was dismissed when the sheriff’s deputy failed to attend the traffic court hearing.
—
USA TODAY,
26 Feb. 2024
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As Mary's health was failing, the new acting chief of the Seaside Police Department was determined to solve the case once and for all.
—
Maureen Maher,
CBS News,
23 Dec. 2023
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Much like face-lifts of the past, lip lifts used to be skin-only operations, and tended to scar poorly and fail quickly.
—
Jolene Edgar,
Harper's BAZAAR,
8 June 2023
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The way to negate that variable is to build in some fail.
—
Xl Media,
cleveland,
6 Apr. 2022
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From the depths of the earth, to the sky so high/ Thou art a lifeline, without fail.
—
Globe Columnist,
BostonGlobe.com,
14 Dec. 2022
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For me, this need to be fail-proof kept me on only safe paths for years.
—
Melanie Hicks,
Forbes,
15 Oct. 2021
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The trench coat is one of very few no-fail items to invest in for your closet.
—
Kerry Pieri,
Harper's BAZAAR,
27 June 2022
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Where the other two fail is in trying to do Mel B’s Scary Spice.
—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2021
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Her class meets for one hour, once per week, and is graded pass-fail.
—
Katie Reilly,
Time,
5 Oct. 2022
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If the first five fail but the next five succeed, which is a better outcome?
—
Eric Berger,
Ars Technica,
20 Apr. 2023
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At the same time, one of the leading causes of failure for the 83% that fail is strategic mis-fit.
—
George Bradt,
Forbes,
14 Sep. 2021
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Adrienne So has dragged hers around the world for more than 10 years without fail.
—
Louryn Stramp,
Wired,
22 June 2021
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The first hour of every day can make waves over time if spent well without fail.
—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes,
24 May 2021
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Some joke that the lighthouse was a fail because a boat ran aground anyway.
—
Frank Witsil,
USA TODAY,
6 Jan. 2022
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So this O’Malley’s decision is not like a fail safe here.
—
Laura Johnston,
cleveland,
28 June 2022
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As for the weather, the sun shines without fail out of (a) a cloud-resistant sky and (b) the rear ends of the local guys.
—
Anthony Lane,
The New Yorker,
16 Sep. 2022
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But, if not, Rita’s fail-safe is always a good place to divert to.
—
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2022
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Why did a Rocky River School tax fail with voters last week?
—
Laura Johnston,
cleveland,
10 May 2021
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Flipping a seat here is also a no-fail mission if the GOP hopes to regain control of the House.
—
Kate Bachelder Odell,
WSJ,
28 Oct. 2022
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When the simplest pieces of a kit fail, a run can become unbearable.
—
Joe Jackson,
Outside Online,
10 Oct. 2022
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Most weeks saw between a few to half a dozen fail to report their data.
—
al,
20 Aug. 2021
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Follow the recipe below for a never-fail-method for cooking shrimp.
—
Tribune News Service,
cleveland,
21 July 2021
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To me, the freedom to be myself, take risks and fail has been at the foundation of my business’s success.
—
Yec,
Forbes,
26 Jan. 2022
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Here, 25 no-fail polo shirts that’ll elevate your wardrobe to new heights.
—
Brad Lanphear,
Men's Health,
7 Dec. 2022
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Not long ago, choosing the right fork at a business meal felt like a momentous pass-or-fail test.
—
Fardad Zabetian,
Forbes,
10 June 2021
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Angel fans have seen moves similar to this fail to pan out.
—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Nov. 2021
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Dress to Impress Add a little oomph to the no-fail black suit by playing with proportions.
—
Madeline Fass,
Vogue,
11 June 2021
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If the sectors where such assets were in high demand fail, the entire value of your wealth could go down.
—
Laxmi Corp,
The Salt Lake Tribune,
18 July 2022
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For under forty bucks, this piece of gear has proved its worth under heavy use for over five years without fail.
—
Ebony Roberts,
Outside Online,
11 June 2021
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Buying him a fresh blanket for those occasions is a no-fail gift.
—
Brittney Morgan and Kelly Allen,
House Beautiful,
20 Apr. 2022
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And without fail, the players lined up in the south end zone following the win to sing Carmen Ohio along with many students and fans.
—
David Petkiewicz,
cleveland,
13 Nov. 2021
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Without fail, each of those mornings, the tiny red light at the top of the keypad would begin blinking rapidly, the signal to turn the handle and open the door.
—
Steve Meyer,
Anchorage Daily News,
9 Jan. 2022
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For no-fail labels that are easy to replace, use tape from a label maker to mark the main contents of the container.
—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Oct. 2022
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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