fail
verb (used without object)
to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved.
are failing
-
present progressiveof fail.present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“My whole career has been about finding businesses that are failing because of bad governance,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
All nine companies are failing when it comes to combating "existential" threats such as pursuing models that reach human-level intelligence, known as "artificial general intelligence" or AGI, the report said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Now, eight months into the fiscal year, Trump officials are failing to follow many of those orders, ProPublica has found.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
"Because traditional water systems are failing, Leh-Ladakh has become a hub for innovative, grassroots hydraulic engineering," says Murtaza Ali, executive engineer in the Irrigation and Flood Control Division, at the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Our nation’s crops are failing this year, so there is little grain to sell to other nations.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
