QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Idioms about fail
without fail, with certainty; positively: I will visit you tomorrow without fail.
Origin of fail
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English failen, from Anglo-French, Old French faillir, from unattested Vulgar Latin fallīre, for Latin fallere “to disappoint, deceive”
OTHER WORDS FROM fail
un·failed, adjectiveWords nearby fail
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use fail in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for fail (1 of 2)
fail1
/ (feɪl) /
verb
noun
a failure to attain the required standard, as in an examination
without fail definitely; with certainty
Word Origin for fail
C13: from Old French faillir, ultimately from Latin fallere to disappoint; probably related to Greek phēlos deceitful
British Dictionary definitions for fail (2 of 2)
fail2
/ (fel) /
noun
Scot a turf; sod
Word Origin for fail
perhaps from Scottish Gaelic fàl
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with fail
fail
see without fail; words fail me.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.