1. (v. i.) To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence; to cease to be furnished in the usual or expected manner, or to be altogether cut off from supply; to be lacking; as, streams fail; crops fail.

2. (v. i.) To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; -- used with of.

3. (v. i.) To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.

4. (v. i.) To deteriorate in respect to vigor, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker; as, a sick man fails.

5. (v. i.) To perish; to die; -- used of a person.

6. (v. i.) To be found wanting with respect to an action or a duty to be performed, a result to be secured, etc.; to miss; not to fulfill expectation.

7. (v. i.) To come short of a result or object aimed at or desired ; to be baffled or frustrated.

8. (v. i.) To err in judgment; to be mistaken.

9. (v. i.) To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent.

10. (v. t.) To be wanting to ; to be insufficient for; to disappoint; to desert.

11. (v. t.) To miss of attaining; to lose.

12. (v. i.) Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; -- mostly superseded by failure or failing, except in the phrase without fail.

13. (v. i.) Death; decease.

abandon abort age bankrupt be a gas be a hit be caught napping be found wanting be inferior be insufficient be neglectful be negligent be ruined be unfaithful be unsuccessful become insolvent bill bomb break break faith bust cave in cheat the undertaker close down close up collapse come apart come short come to grief come unstuck conk out crash crumble decay decline decrease default deplete desert deteriorate die diminish disappear disappoint disintegrate disregard dodder drain dramatize droop drop dwindle ebb exhaust fade fail of fail of success faint fall fall away fall flat fall off fall short fall shy fall through falter feature fizzle out flag flop flunk flunk out fold fold up follow forsake founder get along get on give out give way gloss over go back on go bankrupt go broke go down go downhill go into receivership go off go out go soft go to pieces go to pot go to ruin go under go up go wrong grow old gutter have nothing on headline hit a slump hit rock bottom hit the skids ignore impoverish jade kick the beam labor in vain lack lag languish lapse leave undone lessen let down let go let ride let slide let slip lose lose ground lose sight of lose strength lose track of make a hit melodramatize miscarry misfire miss mount neglect nod not answer not approach not care for not come near not come off not compare not get involved not hack it not heed not make it not make out not measure up not pass not qualify not stretch not suffice not think not work open open a show overlook pass over pass the buck peak peg out peter out pine play second fiddle poop out premiere present preview produce put on rank under reach the depths run aground run down run out run short scenarize serve set the stage shake shift the blame shift the responsibility short shrink shrivel shut down sink sleep slide slight slip slump spin stage star stop short subserve subside succeed take for granted theatricalize totter touch bottom try out turn gray turn white wane want wash out waste waste away weaken wear away wear thin wilt wither wither away wizen worsen wrinkle yield