fail
verbVerb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they fail | |
| he / she / it fails | |
| past simple failed | |
| past participle failed | |
| -ing form failing |
- [intransitive, transitive]
to not be successful in achieving something 失败；未能（做到） Many diets fail because they are boring. 许多规定饮食因单调乏味都不奏效。 Ultimately all their efforts failed. 最终他们所有的努力都失败了。 a policy/plan fails 政策/计划失败 - fail in something
I failed in my attempt to persuade her. 我未能说服她。 He failed in his bid for the presidency. 他竞选总统失败了。 - fail to do something
The department failed to meet its sales targets. 该部门未能达到其销售目标。 They promised a lot, but utterly failed to deliver. 他们承诺了很多，但完全没有兑现。 The song can't fail to be a hit (= definitely will be a hit). 这首歌不可能不流行起来。
Extra ExamplesTopics Difficulty and failurea2I tried to cheer her up, but failed miserably. 我尽量让她高兴起来，但丝毫不成功。 Economic policy has failed miserably to address these issues. 经济政策没能很好地解决这些问题。 Others have tried and failed. 其他人试过，却失败了。 Can we succeed where others have failed? 在别人失败的地方，我们能成功吗？ He tries to be a good father, but ultimately fails in his responsibility. 他试图成为一个好父亲，但最终没有尽到责任。 She failed in her bid to be re-elected. 她竞选连任失败了。 She failed to get into art college. 她未能进入艺术学院。 The film completely fails to convince. 这部电影完全没有说服力。 If the play has some message to get across, it singularly fails to do so. 如果这出戏要传达某种信息，它显然不能做到这一点。 That joke never fails. 那个笑话屡试不爽。 She came up with several plans that failed spectacularly before finally achieving success. 她想出了几个方案，但都功败垂成。 The show didn't just fail, it failed spectacularly. 这场演出不仅是失败，而且是严重失败。 The game fails in many respects. 这个游戏在很多方面都失败了。 Opponents say it's a policy doomed to fail. 反对者说这是一项注定要失败的政策。 She tried to put an all-women crew together, but failed dismally. 她试图组织一个全是女性的团队，但不幸失败了。 They had tried and they had failed. 他们努力过，也失败过。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- dismally
- miserably
- spectacularly
- …
- cannot
- can hardly
- be bound to
- …
- in
- try and fail
- [transitive, intransitive]
to not pass a test or an exam; to decide that somebody/something has not passed a test or an exam 不及格；评定不及格 What will you do if you fail? 如果你考试失败打算干什么？ - fail something
He failed his driving test. 他驾驶执照考试不及格。 Students who fail the exam can retake it. 考试不及格的学生可以重考。 She was disqualified after failing a drugs test. 她药检未通过，被取消了资格。 The restaurant failed a hygiene inspection. 这家餐馆没有通过卫生检查。 - fail somebody
The examiners failed over half the candidates. 主考人员评定，半数以上考生不及格。
Extra ExamplesTopics Educationa2My car failed its MOT. 我的车没能通过旧车性能检测。 Schools that fail their inspection can be taken over. 检查不合格的学校可以接管。 I failed all my A levels but I turned out fine. 我所有的A级考试都不及格，但结果很好。 She was convinced she'd failed the audition. 她确信自己没有通过试镜。 He was rejected for the army after failing the physical. 体检失败后，他被拒绝参军。 If your attendance drops below 80%, you automatically fail the course. 如果你的出勤率下降到80%以下，你就会自动不及格。 They can fail you for poor attendance. 他们可能会因为你出勤率低而让你不及格。 He failed me for not looking in my rear-view mirror often enough. 他让我失望了，因为他没有经常照我的后视镜。 If you fail, you have to resit. 如果你失败了，你必须辞职。 There's no grade: it's just pass or fail. 没有等级:只是及格或者不及格。 Once a student has failed on a few tasks, they lose motivation. 学生一旦有几次作业不及格，就会失去学习动力。
- [intransitive]
to not do something 未做；未履行（某事） - fail to do something
People failed to recognize her talent. 人们没有认识到她的才华。 His article fails to mention that he actually supported this change. 他的文章没有提到他实际上支持这一改变。 If you fail to comply, you can be fined. 如果你不遵守，你可能会被罚款。 The government has failed to provide the needed resources. 政府未能提供所需的资源。 Such comments never failed to annoy him. 这样的评论向来都使他生气。 I fail to see (= I don't understand) why you won't even give it a try. 我不懂为什么你连试一试都不愿意。 She cannot fail to (= must) be aware of the situation. 她一定意识到了这一情况。 - fail in something
They failed in their duty to protect the public. 他们没有尽到保护公众的责任。
More Like This Verbs usually followed by infinitivesVerbs usually followed by infinitivesExtra ExamplesHe failed to keep the appointment. 他未履约。 The authorities have totally failed to address this problem. 当局完全没有处理这一问题。 I fail to understand why this can't be resolved. 我不明白为什么这个问题不能解决。 They fail to understand the underlying causes. 他们不理解潜在的原因。 The country failed to comply with UN resolutions. 该国未能遵守联合国决议。 He has repeatedly failed to explain his actions. 他一再未能解释自己的行为。 He felt he would be failing in his duty if he did not report it. 他认为如果不报告就是他失职。 Politicians are failing in their responsibility to tackle climate change. 政治家们没有尽到应对气候变化的责任。 She failed in her obligation to warn the client. 她没有履行警告客户的义务。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- totally
- fail to do something
- [intransitive]
to stop working 出故障；失灵 The brakes on my bike failed half way down the hill. 我的自行车下山至中途车闸失灵了。 The air-conditioning system failed on the hottest day of the year. 空调系统在一年里最热的那天瘫痪了。 Sadly, his kidneys had failed. 不幸的是，他的肾脏衰竭了。
Extra ExamplesThe plane can still be flown if one engine fails. 如果一个引擎失灵，飞机仍然可以飞行。 The ship was towed into harbour when its engines failed. 当引擎失灵时，船被拖进了港口。 Many of the plane's systems failed before the crash. 飞机的许多系统在坠毁前就失灵了。 The PA system failed partway through his speech. 他的演讲进行到一半时，公共广播系统失灵了。 Telephone systems can fail during a storm. 电话系统在暴风雨中可能会失灵。 What happens if your internet connection fails while you are downloading a file? 下载文件时，如果互联网连接失败会发生什么？ If your power fails, or your broadband connection goes down, you can't make or receive calls. 如果您的电源出现故障，或者您的宽带连接中断，您将无法拨打或接听电话。 If the circuit is broken the entire network could fail. 如果电路中断，整个网络可能会瘫痪。 An overdose could cause the heart to fail. 过量会导致心脏衰竭。
- [intransitive]
(especially in the progressive tenses 尤用于进行时 to become weak 衰退 - [transitive] fail somebody
to disappoint somebody; to be unable to help when needed 使失望；有负于；无能为力 When he lost his job, he felt he had failed his family. 他失去工作以后，感到辜负了家庭。 She tried to be brave, but her courage failed her. 她想勇敢，但却鼓不起勇气。 - (figurative)
Words fail me (= I cannot express how I feel). 我无法表达自己的感受。
- [intransitive]
to not be enough when needed or expected 不足；缺乏 The crops failed again last summer. 上个夏季庄稼又歉收了。 The rains had failed and the rivers were dry. 雨量不足，河流干涸。
- [intransitive]
to be unable to continue 倒闭；破产 Extra ExamplesTopics Businessb2an enterprise that was doomed to fail from the start 从一开始就注定会失败的事业 A high percentage of businesses fail because of the collapse of a major customer. 很大比例的企业因为一个大客户的倒闭而倒闭。 Businesses fail because they can't pay their bills. 企业失败是因为他们无法支付账单。 More banks failed as people rushed to withdraw their money. 由于人们争相挤兑，更多银行倒闭了。
not succeed不成功
test/exam测验；考试
not do something未做某事
of machines/parts of body机器；身体部位
of health/sight/light
disappoint somebody使失望
not be enough不足
of company/business公司；企业
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French faillir (verb), faille (noun), based on Latin fallere ‘deceive’.
Idioms
if all else fails
too big to fail
- (of a bank or business)
so important to the economy of a country that when it finds itself in financial trouble, the government or central bank must act to save it 出故障；失灵 Shouldering the huge costs of rescuing banks that are too big to fail has been left to taxpayers. 承担拯救大到不能倒的银行的巨大成本已经留给了纳税人。