fail
verb OPAL WOPAL S
/feɪl/
/feɪl/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they fail | /feɪl/ /feɪl/ |
| he / she / it fails | /feɪlz/ /feɪlz/ |
| past simple failed | /feɪld/ /feɪld/ |
| past participle failed | /feɪld/ /feɪld/ |
| -ing form failing | /ˈfeɪlɪŋ/ /ˈfeɪlɪŋ/ |
- [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.
他们的所有尝试均以失败告终。 - 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 failurea2- I 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.
经济政策在解决这些问题上惨遭失败。 - Others have tried and failed.
其他人试过，却失败了。 - Can we succeed where others have failed?
我们能在别人失败的地方取得成功吗？ - He tries to be a good father, but ultimately fails in his responsibility.
他试图成为一个好父亲，但最终未能尽到自己的责任。 - She failed in her bid to be re-elected.
她竞选连任失败了。 - She failed to get into art college.
她没能考上艺术大学。 - The film completely fails to convince.
这部电影完全无法令人信服。 - If the play has some message to get across, it singularly fails to do so.
如果这部剧想要传达一些信息，它却完全没有做到这一点。 - 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.
游戏在很多方面都失败了。 - Opponents say it's a policy doomed to fail.
反对者称这是一项注定会失败的政策。 - She tried to put an all-women crew together, but failed dismally.
她试图组建一支全女性团队，但惨遭失败。 - 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
- Many diets fail because they are boring.
- [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?
如果你考试不及格，你打算怎样做？ - 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.
该餐厅未通过卫生检查。 - 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 Educationa2- My 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.
未通过检查的学校可以被接管。 - I failed all my A levels but I turned out fine.
我所有的 A Level 课程都未及格，但结果很好。 - She was convinced she'd failed the audition.
她确信自己试镜失败了。 - He was rejected for the army after failing the physical.
由于体检不合格，他被拒绝入伍。 - If your attendance drops below 80%, you automatically fail the course.
如果您的出勤率低于 80%，您将自动失败。 - They can fail you for poor attendance.
他们可能会因为出勤率低而让你失望。 - He failed me for not looking in my rear-view mirror often enough.
他让我失望了，因为他没有经常看后视镜。 - If you fail, you have to resit.
如果失败了，就必须重考。 - There's no grade: it's just pass or fail.
没有等级：只有通过或失败。 - 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。
- What will you do if you fail?
- [intransitive] to not do something
未做；未履行（某事） - fail to do something People failed to recognize her talent.
人们未能认识到她的才能。 - 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.
如果您不遵守规定，您可能会被罚款。 - 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.
这种评论总会惹恼他。 - 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.
她不会不知道情况如此。 - 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 infinitives- afford
- agree
- appear
- arrange
- attempt
- beg
- choose
- consent
- decide
- expect
- fail
- happen
- hesitate
- hope
- intend
- learn
- manage
- mean
- neglect
- offer
- prepare
- pretend
- promise
- refuse
- swear
- try
- want
- wish
Extra Examples- He failed to keep the appointment.
他没有遵守约定。 - 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.
我不明白为什么这不能解决。 - They fail to understand the underlying causes.
他们无法理解根本原因。 - 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.
他多次未能解释自己的行为。 - He felt he would be failing in his duty if he did not report it.
他觉得如果他不报告这件事，他就会失职。 - Politicians are failing in their responsibility to tackle climate change.
政客们未能履行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 People failed to recognize her talent.
- [intransitive] to stop working
停止工作；出故障 - 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 Examples- The plane can still be flown if one engine fails.
如果一台发动机出现故障，飞机仍然可以飞行。 - The ship was towed into harbour when its engines failed.
当发动机出现故障时，该船被拖入港口。 - Many of the plane's systems failed before the crash.
飞机的许多系统在坠机前就发生故障。 - The PA system failed partway through his speech.
他演讲进行到一半时，公共广播系统出现故障。 - Telephone systems can fail during a storm.
暴风雨期间电话系统可能会出现故障。 - What happens if your internet connection fails while you are downloading a file?
如果您在下载文件时互联网连接失败，会发生什么情况？ - If your power fails, or your broadband connection goes down, you can't make or receive calls.
如果电源故障或宽带连接中断，您将无法拨打或接听电话。 - If the circuit is broken the entire network could fail.
如果电路损坏，整个网络可能会失败。 - An overdose could cause the heart to fail.
服用过量可能会导致心脏衰竭。
- The brakes on my bike failed half way down the hill.
- [intransitive] (especially in the progressive tenses) to become weak
衰退 - Her eyesight is failing.
她的视力日渐衰退。 - The light began to fail.
天暗下来了.
- Her eyesight is failing.
- [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).
我无法用语言来表达我的感受。
- When he lost his job, he felt he had failed his family.
- [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。
- The crops failed again last summer.
- [intransitive] to be unable to continue
倒闭；破产 - Several banks failed during the recession.
经济衰退期间有几家银行倒闭了。
Extra ExamplesTopics Businessb2- an 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.
很大比例的企业因主要客户的倒闭而倒闭。 - 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。
- Several banks failed during the recession.
not succeed
test/exam
not do something
of machines/parts of body
of health/sight/light
disappoint somebody
not be enough
of company/business
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French faillir (verb), faille (noun), based on Latin fallere ‘deceive’.
Idioms
if all else fails
- used to suggest something that somebody can do if nothing else they have tried is successful
实在不行的话（还可以…） - If all else fails, you can always sell your motorbike.
如果所有别的办法都不行，你总还可以卖掉摩托车。
- If all else fails, you can always sell your motorbike.
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
重大的；严重的 - Shouldering the huge costs of rescuing banks that are too big to fail has been left to taxpayers.
拯救“大而不能倒”的银行的巨额成本由纳税人承担。
- Shouldering the huge costs of rescuing banks that are too big to fail has been left to taxpayers.