INDEX:
1. when you do not succeed
2. when a plan or attempt fails
3. to have the opposite effect to what was intended
4. certain to fail
5. when an event or product is unsuccessful
6. to fail an exam or test
7. when a relationship or marriage fails
8. when a company, shop, or business fails
9. a time when an economy is not successful
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ SUCCEED/SUCCESSFUL
lose a game, argument, election, war etc : ↑ LOSE
see also
↑ TEST
↑ BUSINESS
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1. when you do not succeed
▷ fail /feɪl/ [intransitive verb]
▪ We tried to make her change her mind, but we failed.
fail to do something
▪ I failed to convince him that I was right.
▪ Having failed to find her friend, she decided to return home.
fail completely
▪ If they were trying to put us out of business, they have failed completely.
fail miserably
fail completely, in a way that is embarrassing
▪ Millions of people have tried to quit smoking and failed miserably.
▷ failure /ˈfeɪljəʳ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
when you fail in something you are trying to do :
▪ She never tries anything because she’s terrified of failure.
▪ His ability has been called into question after a number of recent failures.
failure to do something
▪ The failure of the international community to deal effectively with the problem has cost thousands of lives.
▷ not make it /nɒt ˈmeɪk ɪt/ [verb phrase] informal
to fail in your job, especially because you do not earn a lot of money or do not become well known and respected :
not make it as
▪ No one was surprised when he didn’t make it as a rock star.
not make it in
▪ She soon realized she’d never make it in the cut-throat world of journalism.
▷ get nowhere /ˌget ˈnəʊweəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to fail after trying hard for a long time :
▪ Unless you compromise, you’ll get nowhere.
get nowhere with
▪ Realizing she was getting nowhere with Paul, she approached John.
▷ for nothing /fəʳ ˈnʌθɪŋ/ [adverb]
if all your work, preparation etc is for nothing, you have tried to achieve something and spent a lot of time on it, but failed :
▪ If we don’t get the contract all our hard work will have been for nothing.
▪ I don’t want to struggle all my life for nothing.
▷ in vain /ɪn ˈveɪn/ [adverb]
if you tried to do something in vain, or if your efforts were in vain,you completely failed after a lot of effort :
try/search/battle etc in vain
▪ Doctors tried in vain to save him but he died just before dawn.
▪ Police have spent hours searching in vain for the missing teenager.
be in vain
▪ It took a great deal of courage to admit that all her efforts had been in vain.
▷ draw a blank British /come up empty-handed American /ˌdrɔː ə ˈblæŋk, ˌkʌm ʌp ˌempti ˈhændə̇d/ [verb phrase] informal
fail to find or discover information or a person or thing you are looking for :
▪ Once again police investigators have drawn a blank.
▪ The private detective she hired to look for him had come up empty-handed.
2. when a plan or attempt fails
▷ fail /feɪl/ [intransitive verb]
if a plan or attempt fails, it does not achieve what you want it to achieve :
▪ They said the latest space mission was bound to fail.
▪ Try changing the spark plugs, but if that fails take the car to a mechanic.
fail to do something
▪ The investigation failed to establish the cause of the accident.
something never fails
▪ The only way I can make her help me is to pretend I don’t want her help. It never fails.
▷ failure /ˈfeɪljəʳ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
when a plan or attempt fails :
failure of
▪ The failure of the peace talks has led to increased tension on the streets.
end/result in failure
▪ Their first attempt to climb Mount Everest ended in failure.
▷ not succeed /nɒt səkˈsiːd/ [verb phrase]
to fail :
▪ Hoover’s attempts to boost the economy did not succeed.
▪ I argued that neither strategy could succeed.
not succeed in doing something
▪ The campaign might not succeed in eliminating the disease, but it would make people think about health and hygiene.
▷ unsuccessful /ˌʌnsəkˈsesfəl◂/ [adjective]
an unsuccessful attempt to do something does not have the result that you wanted :
▪ The army made an unsuccessful attempt to end the rebellion.
▪ I regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful.
▷ vain /veɪn/ [adjective only before noun]
vain attempt/effort/search
a serious attempt, effort etc that is completely unsuccessful :
▪ I remembered all my vain attempts to change his mind.
▪ He stretched up his arms in a vain effort to reach the top of the embankment.
▷ fruitless /ˈfruːtləs/ [adjective]
fruitless attempt/search/effort etc
one that fails completely to bring the result that you want :
▪ I spent the next three hours in a fruitless search of her room.
▪ After weeks of fruitless argument they finally agreed to go their separate ways.
▪ Their attempt to settle the dispute by peaceful negotiations proved fruitless.
▷ unproductive /ˌʌnprəˈdʌktɪv◂/ [adjective]
a meeting, discussion etc that is unproductive produces very few good results :
▪ The meeting was long and noisy, but unproductive.
▪ It was one of those unproductive confrontations between students and senior members of the university.
▷ be a failure /biː ə ˈfeɪljəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to be unsuccessful - use this especially about something that fails even though it was very carefully planned :
▪ The government’s expensive election campaign had been a failure.
be a complete/total failure
▪ There was a 5-year plan to modernize the economy, but it was a complete failure.
▷ go wrong /ˌgəʊ ˈrɒŋǁ-ˈrɔːŋ/ [verb phrase]
if a planned attempt to do something goes wrong, it fails after it has started well :
▪ The experiment went wrong when the chemicals combined to form a poisonous gas.
go badly wrong
British fail completely
▪ The rescue attempt went badly wrong when the building collapsed.
▷ not work /nɒt ˈwɜːʳk/ [verb phrase]
if a method or attempt does not work, it fails because it is not suitable or not right for the situation you are in :
▪ I tried to fix it with glue, but that didn’t work.
not work with
▪ Teaching methods that work with adults do not always work with children.
▷ do no good /ˌduː nəʊ ˈgʊd/ [verb phrase]
if something you do to try to help or deal with a problem does no good, it does not have any useful effect :
▪ Calm down Robyn. Getting hysterical will do no good.
▪ You can try and persuade her to change her mind, but I don’t think it’ll do any good.
do no good whatsoever
have no useful effect at all
▪ Judges expect a certain level of competence, so staging a little-girl-lost act in court will do no good whatsoever.
▷ fall through /ˌfɔːl ˈθruː/ [intransitive phrasal verb not in progressive]
if a plan, arrangement, or deal falls through, something stops it from happening, with the result that people are disappointed :
▪ The deal fell through because they couldn’t get enough money from the bank.
▪ It was unbelievable -- it took two years to set the whole thing up and it fell through at the last minute!
▷ be dead in the water /biː ˌded ɪn ðə ˈwɔːtəʳ/ [verb phrase]
if a business or political plan is dead in the water, it has failed completely, almost before it has even started - used especially in newspapers :
▪ Their election campaign now appears to be dead in the water.
3. to have the opposite effect to what was intended
▷ backfire /ˌbækˈfaɪəʳǁˈbækfaɪər/ [intransitive verb]
if a plan or action backfires, it is intended to do one thing but instead does the opposite :
▪ His plan to get attention backfired, and instead of being promoted he lost his job.
backfire on
▪ Trying to make your partner jealous by flirting with other people can easily backfire on you.
▷ self-defeating /ˌself dɪˈfiːtɪŋ◂/ [adjective]
an action or plan that is self-defeating is not well planned or is badly done, so that it produces the opposite effect from the one intended :
▪ Taxing poor people to pay for hospitals is always self- defeating.
▪ Attempts to stir up nationalistic feeling at such times are bound to be self-defeating.
▷ counterproductive /ˌkaʊntəʳprəˈdʌktɪv◂/ [adjective not usually before noun]
intended to make something better, but actually making it worse :
▪ Putting very young offenders in prison can be counterproductive.
▪ Constant correction by a teacher is often counterproductive, as the student may become afraid to speak at all.
4. certain to fail
▷ pointless /ˈpɔɪntləs/ [adjective]
something that is pointless is unlikely to have a very useful or successful result, so it would be better not to do it or try it :
▪ The argument was completely pointless.
▪ Most people think the project is a pointless waste of money.
pointless exercise
▪ Speculating like that was always a pointless exercise, but he did it nevertheless.
it is pointless to do something
▪ It’s pointless to take notes and then never look at them again.
it is pointless doing something
▪ She decided it was pointless trying to work while her mind was on other things.
▷ be a waste of time /biː ə ˌweɪst əv ˈtaɪm/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
something that is a waste of time is unlikely to achieve any useful result, so you would be wasting your time if you tried to do it :
▪ Many people think that complaining about bad service is a waste of time.
a complete/total waste of time
▪ These meetings are a complete waste of time. Nothing ever gets decided.
it is a waste of time doing something
▪ It’s a waste of time going to the doctor - he’ll just tell you to get plenty of rest.
▷ there’s no point/what’s the point /ðeəʳz ˌnəʊ ˈpɔɪnt, ˌwɒts ðə ˈpɔɪnt/ spoken
say this when you think that it is useless to do something because you will not achieve anything useful by doing it :
▪ ‘Why don’t you try to explain things to him?’ ‘There’s no point, he never listens.’
▪ I was going to buy a new car, but what’s the point when my old one’s perfectly all right?
there’s no point (in) doing something
▪ There’s no point getting a new carpet until the decorating’s done.
what’s the point in/of doing something?
▪ What’s the point of giving a signal when there are no other cars around to see it?
▷ doomed /duːmd/ [adjective]
not having any chance at all of succeeding :
▪ Attempts to clean up the environment are doomed unless businesses take a leading role.
▪ Within a few months she realized that her marriage was doomed.
doomed to failure
▪ If you refuse to provide any information to the user, then your computer program is doomed to failure.
doomed from the start
▪ Their business venture was doomed from the start, as they did not have the necessary capital.
▷ lost cause /ˌlɒst ˈkɔːzǁˌlɔːst-/ [countable noun]
something that you try to make successful, although it seems very clear to other people that it cannot succeed :
▪ At first it seemed the attempt to save the species was a lost cause.
▪ The miners’ strike of 1984 turned out to be a lost cause.
▷ non-starter /nɒn ˈstɑːʳtəʳ/ [countable noun] British
an idea or plan that will definitely not be successful :
▪ Everybody would prefer a lower rate of tax, but that that is a non-starter economically.
▪ The project would have been a non-starter without the help of Judith Glyn.
5. when an event or product is unsuccessful
▷ be a failure /biː ə ˈfeɪljəʳ/ [verb phrase]
▪ The latest model seems likely to be a failure since cheaper versions are now available.
be a complete/total failure
▪ It takes a little while for an author to realize that his book has been a complete failure.
be a commercial failure
to not make enough profit
▪ Her first film was praised by the critics, but was a commercial failure.
▷ be a fiasco /biː ə fiˈæskəʊ/ [verb phrase]
to be completely unsuccessful, in a way that makes people feel disappointed and embarrassed :
▪ It was a fiasco! Nobody knew what they were doing and everything went wrong.
▪ The show turned into a fiasco when members of the audience invaded the stage.
be a complete/total fiasco
▪ Lamont’s attempts to prop up the pound were a complete fiasco.
▷ be a disaster /biː ə dɪˈzɑːstəʳǁ-ˈzæs-/ [verb phrase]
if an event, especially a social event, is a disaster, it makes people feel angry, disappointed, or embarrassed, instead of being enjoyable :
▪ Our first date was a disaster.
▪ The whole visit was something of a disaster, and he was still recovering from it months later.
be a total/complete disaster
▪ Even the host would have to admit that the evening had been a complete disaster.
▷ be a shambles /biː ə ˈʃæmb ə lz/ [verb phrase]
if a situation or event is a shambles, it is completely unsuccessful because it has been very badly planned or organized :
▪ The whole conference was a shambles because half the speakers did not come.
▪ The way this school is run is a shambles.
be a complete/total shambles
▪ Let’s hope this year’s celebrations aren’t a complete shambles like last year’s.
▷ flop/be a flop /flɒp, biː ə ˈflɒpǁ-ˈflɑːp/ [intransitive verb/verb phrase]
if a product, play, or performance flops or is a flop, it is not successful because people do not like it :
▪ The movie flopped and Laughton never got the chance to direct again.
▪ It was just another so-called "wonder product' that flopped when people failed to buy it.
▪ Despite all the publicity, the show was a flop.
▪ It is the public who decide whether a film will be a hit or a flop.
▷ bomb /bɒmǁbɑːm/ [intransitive verb] informal
if a product, play, or performance bombs, it is not successful because people do not like it :
▪ Although the show was a hit in London it bombed on Broadway.
▪ She has had few offers of work since her last movie bombed so spectacularly.
6. to fail an exam or test
▷ fail /feɪl/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to not succeed in an examination or test :
▪ Jonathan failed his law exams at the end of the year.
▪ If I fail my driving test again, I’m going to give up.
▪ ‘How did you do in accountancy?’ ‘I failed’.
fail by 2 marks/5% etc
▪ We expected her to pass easily, but she failed by 15 marks.
▷ flunk /flʌŋk/ [intransitive/transitive verb] especially American, informal
to fail an examination or test :
▪ He thought he was going to flunk chemistry, but he got a D.
▪ I flunked, and had to do the test again.
▷ flunk out /ˌflʌŋk ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb] especially American informal
to fail a course at college or university and be forced to leave :
▪ You either pass and get your degree or flunk out.
flunk out of college/school etc
▪ It was extremely humiliating to flunk out of law school like that.
▷ bomb /bɒmǁbɑːm/ [transitive verb] American informal
to fail very badly :
▪ I bombed the English test yesterday.
7. when a relationship or marriage fails
▷ fail /feɪl/ [intransitive verb]
▪ If your marriage fails it can be difficult to make a new start in life.
▪ She was trapped in a failing relationship.
failed [adjective only before noun]
▪ He was 50, in bad health and with two failed marriages behind him.
▷ go wrong /ˌgəʊ ˈrɒŋǁ-ˈrɔːŋ/ [verb phrase] British
if a marriage or other relationship goes wrong, or something about it goes wrong,something happens or changes to make it fail after it had started well :
▪ It was soon after the birth of their first child that their relationship started to go wrong.
▪ Only the two of you know what went wrong.
▷ be on the rocks /biː ɒn ðə ˈrɒksǁ-ˈrɑːks/ [verb phrase] informal
if a marriage is on the rocks, it is in difficulties and likely to fail :
▪ There had been signs that their marriage was on the rocks for years.
8. when a company, shop, or business fails
▷ fail /feɪl/ [intransitive verb]
▪ A large number of businesses failed when interest rates rose.
▪ Several thousands of small businesses fail each week.
failure /ˈfeɪljəʳ/ [countable noun]
▪ Company failures have led to massive job losses.
▷ go out of business /gəʊ ˌaʊt əv ˈbɪznə̇s/ [verb phrase]
if a company goes out of business, it stops existing because it is no longer making a profit :
▪ Many small farms are going out of business.
be put/forced out of business
▪ As the recession hit, many traders were forced out of business.
▷ go under /ˌgəʊ ˈʌndəʳ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a business, bank, or company goes under, it fails - used especially in newspapers and business contexts :
▪ When the company went under, some of our workers found positions with Ford.
▷ close down /ˌkləʊz ˈdaʊn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a shop, factory, or business closes down, it stops making or selling goods :
▪ If the factory closes down, 600 people will lose their jobs.
▪ Coal mines are closing down all over the country.
▪ Not long ago, the orchestra was the pride of the city. Now it is on the verge of closing down.
▷ closure British /closing American /ˈkləʊʒəʳ, ˈkləʊzɪŋ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
when a shop, factory, or business fails and closes :
▪ Further factory closures have been announced.
closure of
▪ The closing of the Minton Savings and Loan was a great loss to the town.
face/be threatened with closure
to be going to close down
▪ Penrhyn is now the largest quarry in the world, yet 5 years ago it faced closure.
▷ go bankrupt/go bust /ˌgəʊ ˈbæŋkrʌpt, ˌgəʊ ˈbʌst/ [verb phrase] informal
if a person or company goes bankrupt, they are legally forced to sell their property and possessions to pay their debts :
▪ Her father went bankrupt in 1984.
▪ He bought a small printing firm that had gone bankrupt.
▪ The company went bust last year, owing £12 million.
▷ fold /fəʊld/ [intransitive verb] informal
to fail and be unable to continue in business :
▪ Most of the companies dependent on the steelworks folded within weeks.
▷ go to the wall /ˌgəʊ tə ðə ˈwɔːl/ [verb phrase] informal
to fail and be unable to continue in business, especially because of difficult economic conditions :
▪ Over 300 small firms have gone to the wall in the past year.
▪ High interest rates will force many businesses to go to the wall.
9. a time when an economy is not successful
▷ recession /rɪˈseʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a period when a country’s economic growth stops and there is less trade, so that many companies have to reduce the number of workers they employ :
▪ The car industry, like most other industries, is feeling the effects of the recession.
severe recession
very bad recession
▪ In times of severe recession companies are often forced to make massive job cuts in order to survive.
in recession
suffering from a recession
▪ The economy is in recession and will remain so for at least another year.
▷ slump /slʌmp/ [countable noun]
a period when there is a big reduction in trade so that many companies fail and a lot of people lose their jobs :
▪ The post-war slump sent the unemployment figures to twice the expected level.
slump in
▪ The slump in the property market is making it difficult for people to sell their homes.
▷ depression /dɪˈpreʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a period of time continuing for several years when greatly reduced business activity severely affects a country’s economic growth, and a lot of people lose their jobs - use this especially when this affects many countries across the world :
▪ In Germany the depression in the late 1920s helped Hitler’s rise to power.
▪ Hartnell blamed his financial difficulties on the worldwide depression.
▷ crash /kræʃ/ [countable noun]
a sudden and unexpected fall in the value of shares in companies, with the result that many companies have to close and a lot of people lose their jobs :
▪ Luckily, I sold my shares just before the crash.
▪ The Wall Street Crash was disastrous for many American businessmen.
stock market crash
crash in the organizations that buy and sell shares in companies
▪ The stock market crash made me suspicious of those types of insurance schemes.